Washington County is named for George Washington, who was the first President of the United States from 1789 to 1797.
Surrounding Courthouses:
N – Franklin County
E – Jefferson County and St. Francois County
S – Iron County
W – Crawford County
Created: August 21, 1813
County Seat:
Potosi 1813 – present
County Courthouse – Potosi
Location: 102 North Missouri Street / West High Street
Built: 1908– 1909
Style: Italianate
Architect: Henry H Holenschild
Contractor: W R Order of Canton
Description: The building faces southeast and is a three story red colored brick, stone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Potosi. The southeast front has a porch supported by brick pillars with peaked roof. Behind the porch, rises a five story tower with vertical window and arched windows at the top. There are north and south lower wings. The roof is hipped. In the interior, the hallway runs east-west on the first story with the County Commissioner’s Meeting Room located on the west side. Wood stairs ascend to the second story where the County Circuit Court courtroom with windows along the west side is located. The courtroom ceiling is high extending into the third story and a balcony used to be along the east side but has been enclosed. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 24th Judicial Circuit. The architect was Henry H Holenschild and the contractor was W R Order of Canton. The building was renovated in 1973 to 1974. On the north side is the one story County Courthouse Annex at 106 North Missouri Street which contains one courtroom.
See: The architect, Henry H Hohenschild, also designed courthouses in Barry County, Christian County, Osage County, Pemiscot County, Pike County, Pulaski County and Scott County.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Washington County Courthouse
See: The 24th Judicial Circuit includes Madison County, St. Francois County and Ste. Genevieve County.
History: The county was created in 1813 and Potosi was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a two story stone and brick structure built by Nehemiah Cravens in 1814 to 1815 at a cost of $5,595. Cravens defaulted on the contract other workmen were hired to complete the first story only. The building was razed in 1849. The second courthouse was a two story structure built by Henry Wright in 1849 to 1850 at a cost of $10,000 under the supervision of Matthew Webber, superintendent. In 1897 the courthouse was remodeled. The architect was A H Mitchell and the contractor was D N Porter and Son. The courthouse burned on January 9, 1907. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1908 to 1909 at a cost of $30,000.
County Courthouse – Potosi
County Commissioner’s Meeting Room
County Circuit Court courtroom
County Courthouse Annex – Potosi
Photos taken 2009, 2024 and 2026
Images 18*