Lawrence County is named for James Lawrence, who was a captain in the War of 1812.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Mercer County
E – Butler County
S – Beaver County
W – Columbiana County, Ohio and Mahoning County, Ohio
Created: March 20, 1849 
County Seat:
New Castle 1849 – present
County Courthouse – New Castle
Location: 430 Court Street / East Washington Street
Built: 1850 – 1852
Style: Classical Revival
Architect: James M Craig and William Hamilton
Contractor: James M Craig and William Hamilton
Description: The building faces west and is a two story cream colored brick structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds on a hill which descends on the west side overlooking Neshannock Creek and downtown New Castle. The west front has a large portico with six Iconic columns rising to a wide pediment at the roof line. Behind the pediment is a square tiered cupola with octagonal section and gold colored dome at the top. The building houses the County Court of Common Pleas of the 53rd Judicial District. There have been three additions made to the building. In 1885 and 1886, a two story wing was added to the south elevation even with the front façade. This addition, as the later two, were made using similar building materials and style. In 1914, an addition was added to the rear of the south façade and was later extended in 1939. The third addition was made in 1943 and 1944 to the north façade opposite the 1939 addition. This gave the building a T-shaped floor plan. In 1947 a small addition was made between the 1885 and the 1914 additions. The building was restored in 2002.
History: The county was created in 1849 and New Castle was selected as the county seat. The first and present courthouse was constructed in 1850 to 1852 at a cost of $32,000. The County Government Center was constructed in 1977 to 1979.
County Government Center – New Castle
Location: 430 Court Street / East Washington Street
Built: 1977 – 1979
Style: Modern
Architect: Unknown
Contractor: Unknown
Description: The building faces north and is a three story cream colored concrete structure. The main entrance on the north side is on the second story. The first and second stories has horizontal recessed windows. The third story windows are square. The roof is sloped. The building is connected to the courthouse on the northwest side.
County Courthouse – New Castle
County Court of Common Pleas courtroom
County Government Center – New Castle
Photos taken 2006 and 2015
Images 18*