Lancaster County Courthouse (South Carolina)

	Lancaster County Courthouse
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
	U.S. National Historic Landmark
	Lancaster County Courthouse, 1969
	Interactive map showing the location of Lancaster County Courthouse
Location	104 N. Main St.,; Lancaster, South Carolina
Coordinates	34°43′9″N 80°46′27″W / 34.71917°N 80.77417°W
Built	1828
Architect	Robert Mills
Architectural style	Classical Revival
NRHP reference No.	71000788
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	February 24, 1971
Designated NHL	November 7, 1973

Lancaster County Courthouse is a historic courthouse in Lancaster, South Carolina. Built in 1828, it has been in continuous use since then. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1973, as a possible work of Robert Mills, an important American architect of the first half of the 19th century.^[1]^[3] It also has the distinction of being the site of the last witch trials to take place in the United States.^[4]

Description and history

The Lancaster County Courthouse is located in the heart of downtown Lancaster, at the southwest corner of Meeting Street (South Carolina Highway 9) and Main Street (U.S. Route 521). It is a two-story masonry structure, built out of locally-made bricks laid in English bond, with Flemish bond around the windows. Its main facade is five bays wide, with the main entrance on the second floor, accessed via stairs on either side of a projecting classical temple front supported by Tuscan columns. Windows are rectangular, set in round-arch openings. The interior of the ground floor has barrel-vaulted ceilings, providing support for the upper floor. The judge's bench in the main courtroom is a particularly fine example of Federal period wood carving.^[3]

The courthouse was built in 1828 by Willis Alsobrook, and its design has been attributed, without conclusive evidence, to the architect Robert Mills, who is known to have designed the old 1823 county jail, also a National Historic Landmark. The building had been in continuous use as a courthouse until 2012, when the new county courthouse, located adjacent to it, was completed.^[3]^[5]

An image of the new building as seen in 2022 — New Lancaster County Courthouse, adjacent to the original, 2022

In 2008, the courthouse was heavily damaged, but not destroyed, by fire caused by arson.^[6] It was fully restored in 2011 and turned into a museum.^[5] In April 2010, a local 18-year-old, Martavious Carter, was sentenced to 35 years in prison for the arson of the courthouse and other crimes.^[7]

References

^ ^a ^b "Lancaster County Courthouse". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved March 4, 2008.
^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
^ ^a ^b ^c Norman McCorkle (August 29, 1970), National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Lancaster County Courthouse (pdf), National Park Service and Accompanying three photos, exterior and interior, from 1970 and 1973 (32 KB)
^ "History". Archived from the original on January 5, 2009. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
^ ^a ^b "Historic Courthouse". www.mylancastersc.org. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
^ Tran, Susan (August 5, 2008). "Historic Building To Be Rebuilt After Arson In Lancaster". Lancaster, S.C.: WSOC-TV. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
^ WCNC Staff (April 30, 2010). "Teen gets 35 years for burning Lancaster courthouse". WCNC. Retrieved September 10, 2023.

External links

Lancaster County Courthouse, Lancaster County (104 N. Main St., Lancaster), at South Carolina Department of Archives and History
Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. SC-604, "Lancaster County Courthouse, 104 North Main Street at Dunlap Street, Lancaster, Lancaster County, SC", 13 photos, 3 color transparencies, 2 data pages, 1 photo caption page
100 North Main Street - Lancaster County Courthouse

[nhlsum-1] "Lancaster County Courthouse". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved March 4, 2008.

[nris-2] "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.

[nrhpinv2-3] Norman McCorkle (August 29, 1970), National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Lancaster County Courthouse (pdf), National Park Service and Accompanying three photos, exterior and interior, from 1970 and 1973 (32 KB)

[4] "History". Archived from the original on January 5, 2009. Retrieved April 22, 2009.

[CourtHist-5] "Historic Courthouse". www.mylancastersc.org. Retrieved September 10, 2023.

[6] Tran, Susan (August 5, 2008). "Historic Building To Be Rebuilt After Arson In Lancaster". Lancaster, S.C.: WSOC-TV. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved January 1, 2012.

[7] WCNC Staff (April 30, 2010). "Teen gets 35 years for burning Lancaster courthouse". WCNC. Retrieved September 10, 2023.

[2]

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Description and history

See also

References

External links