Wayne County is named for Anthony Wayne, who was a general in the American Revolutionary War, and who lived from 1745 to 1796.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Iron County and Madison County
E – Bollinger County and Stoddart County
S – Butler County
W – Carter County and Reynolds County
Created: December 11, 1818
County Seat:
Greenville 1819 – present
County Courthouse – Greenville
Location: 109 Walnut Street / Parkway Street
Built: 1941– 1943
Style: Art Deco
Architect: Eugene S Johnson and Albert Maack of St. Louis
Contractor: Eugene S Johnson and Albert Maack of St. Louis
Description: The building faces southeast and is a three story buff colored brick, stone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Greenville. The southeast front has a projecting center section with narrow vertical brick divisions between the vertical windows. The entrance is framed with stone. There are east and west wings. The roof line is flat. In the interior the County Circuit Court courtroom is located along the east side of the second story. There is a small courtroom located on the northeast side of the second story. The building houses the Circuit Court of the 42nd Judicial District. The building was a Works Projects Administration project.
See: The 42nd Judicial Circuit includes Crawford County, Dent County, Iron County and Reynolds County.
History: The county was created in 1818 and Greenville was selected as the county seat in 1819. The county used rented premises. The first courthouse was a two story log structure built on the square. The second courthouse was a brick structure built in 1849 and the building burned in 1853. The third courthouse was a two story structure built in 1856 at a cost of $2,500. The building was damaged by fire on December 14, 1892. The fourth courthouse was a two story brick structure built by C Lindeman and Son of Cape Girardeau in 1893 at a cost of $7000. The courthouse was razed in 1924. In 1925 to 1926, the fifth courthouse was a brick and stone structure designed by Martin Laubis of Poplar Bluff and built at a cost of $50,000. The building was torn down when Wappapello Lake was dammed and covered the site. The sixth and present courthouse was constructed in 1841 to 1943 at a cost of $98,000.
County C0urthouse – Greenville
County Circuit Court courtroom
County Circuit Court small courtroom
Photos taken 2009 and 2026
Images 15*