Van Buren County - American Courthouses

Van Buren County is named for Martin Van Buren, who was President of the United States of America.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – White County

E – Cumberland County and Bledsoe County

S – Sequatchie County

W – Warren County

Created: January 3, 1840

County Seat:

Spencer 1840 – present

Old County Courthouse – Spencer

Location: 179 Veterans Square / College Street

Built: 1904 – 1905

Style: Federal

Architect: L E Hawthorne and J H Roy

Contractor L E Hawthorne and J H Roy

Description: The building faces south and is a two story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on spacious landscaped grounds on the west side of the center of Spencer. The building is rectangular with a central entrance on the south side which is framed with white colored wood. The windows are vertical and narrow. On the center of the roof is a rectangular white colored cupola. The roof is hipped. The courtroom was located on the second story. The building is now owned by the Historical Society and is no longer used as a courthouse.

County Courthouse – Spencer

Location: 121 Taft Drive / Highway 111

Built: 2016 – 2018

Style: Modern

Architect: Upland Design Group Inc. of Crossville

Contractor J Cumby Construction Inc. of Cookeville

Description: The building faces east and is a two story brown colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on spacious landscaped grounds on the east side of the center of Spancer. The east front has a central entrance with a high concrete section which projects from the main building and has two vertical windows on the second story. A narrow horizontal concrete belt run between the first and second stories. And a wide horizontal belt runs along the extended flat roof line. The building contains the Commissioner’s Room and the Courtroom. The building houses the County Circuit Court, County Chancery Court, County General Sessions Court and County Juvenile Court of the 31st Judicial District. The building is named as the County Administrative Facility.

See: The architect, Uplands Design Group, Inc. of Crossville also designed courthouses in Cumberland County and Fentress County.

Note: The former County Administration Building at 500 College Street and Cook Street was a former school. The building was destroyed by fire in 1915.

See: The 31st Judicial District includes Warren County.

History: The county was created in 1840 and Spencer was selected as the county seat. The first court met at the home of William Worthington and in 1840, the first courthouse was an old house purchased in Spencer. The second courthouse was built in 1848 by Nathan F Trogden. The building was damaged during a storm and a courthouse committee awarded a contract on August 2, 1904 to built a third courthouse on the same site and the courthouse is still standing. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 2016 to 2018.