One of the most important, but least remarked upon, of America's architectural legacies can be found in thousands of county seats across the country -- it is the county courthouse. They were designed and built with pride, and often became the community's landmark structure. In fact, in doing background research I was struck by the number of counties that incorporate an image of the courthouse building in their county logo.

As Herbert Johnson & Ralph Andrist explain in their book, Historic Courthouses of New York State, "Because American local governing bodies have traditionally held their legislative and executive sessions in the county courthouse, and the activities of officials such as sheriffs, tax

The Smith County Courthouse in Tyler, Texas, was typical of the hundreds of county courthouses located in the central town square. Unfortunately, this landmark Courthouse was demolished in 1955. View a photo of the current Courthouse. The Square seen in the picture also changed dramatically. Broadway Avenue, the major North/South Corridor, now runs through what was the middle of the old Courthouse. To the West is the "new" square with a fountain, sitting areas, and memorials. To the East is the new Courthouse and a road separating it from the other buildings visible in the picture. [From information provided by William V. Morales, Director of Planning, City of Tyler].

assessors, county clerks, and registrars of wills and deeds have also centered in the courthouse or its neighborhood, the county courthouse has been the focal point of local political and governmental life."

The authors go on to observe that "Courthouse architecture reflected the esteem in which law and local government were held. ... Courtrooms were graced with large windows and lofty ceilings, and those on the second floor were often reached by long and impressive staircases."

The county courthouse often centered the community, not just figurately, but literally by either occupying the main square or fronting on it (see, for example, the Mifflin County and Tioga County Courthouses). As Richard V. Francaviglia notes in Main Street Revisited: Time, Space, and Image Building in Small-Town America, "In central county seats, roads often coverged from at least four directions on the county courthouse. Very often a town speculator would donate a central block of property for the courthouse, and, in many centrally located towns, the business district grew around the courthouse. .. Just as zoning today can affect town morphology, so too could speculation. In many county seats, commercial properties were deliberately located facing the courthouse square, a recognition that the courthouse could serve as a magnet to commercial enterprises."

Similarly, the Texas Historical Commission observes that "Historic courthouses are more than architecturally grand buildings and old government offices. They're physical, tangible links to community and state heritage. Courthouses were the first permanent structures in many Texas communities, and main streets and business districts grew and prospered in their shadows. Marriages, trials, elections, parades, festivals, campaign rallies and community celebrations are just some of the events linked to courthouse squares."

One demonstration of the power historic courthouses still hold over us can be found in the surprising number of amateur photographers who spend years touring their state -- and on occasion, even the country -- to photograph county courthouses. Some of their efforts can now be viewed on the Web; see our Links page.

The new (above) versus the old (below) Escambia County Courthouses in Pensacola, Florida.

Of course, the fact is that a number of historic courthouses remain threatened -- by neglect and, sometimes, by the need to build a more elaborate "judicial complex." As John and Margaret T. Peters comment in their beautiful book, Virginia's Historic Courthouses, "Many modern courthouses look more like mammoth office buildings, with little symbolic or traditional significance and even less regard for what we used to call 'the majesty of the Law.' ... As much as ever, our courthouses are a reflection of society, and it is not an altogether pretty picture."

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