Crawford County Court House
History of the Courthouse
When Crawford Countys boundaries extended to include most of Phelps and part of Dent Counties, the county seat was located at the mouth of the Little Piney River. The court met in the two-story hewn-log house of James Harrison.
After a reduction in county size a meeting to organize Crawford County took place on February 23, 1834. Liberty Hill served as a temporary county seat until the commissioners located the permanent seat at Steelville in 1835.
The county court records indicate no attempt at construction of a courthouse until May 1837. At that time M. W. Trask, superintendent of the courthouse, provided a plan for a brick 1-1/2 story courthouse that would measure about 26 by 30 feet. The court approved the plan, but apparently the building did not immediately proceed in spite of an $800 appropriation.
In August 1837 a clerks office was being built, which the court intended to use. But in November the court was paying Simeon Frost rent for a house in which to hold court. In November the court authorized purchase of land for the public square. Simeon Frost acted as commissioner and paid $80 for the lot.
By May of the next year, 1838, the court authorized Trask to prepare a new plan for a 29-foot-square courthouse. In the spring of 1839 the two-story structure built by Obadiah Ferguson was completed; courts met there in May although finishing continued for some time. The courthouse was completed in 1843-44.
The second courthouse, built in 1857 on the same site, was two stories, brick, 36 by 48 feet, with stone foundation. The court appropriated $6,000 for this structure. Fire destroyed the building February 15, 1873.
The following month the court appropriated $10,000 for the third courthouse. Joe Davis superintended the work. The two contractors with the lowest bids would not provide bond so A. E. Dye and Sons were awarded the contract for $9,775. This building too was consumed by fire, which began in the cupola, January 5, 1884. The court carried $9,000 insurance on this courthouse.
J. J. Upchurch designed the fourth and present courthouse, which was built in 1885-86. Hollow and Salzer received the contract for construction of the 71-by-36-foot two-story brick building which cost about $7,500. An addition made in 1974 was designed by Dan Mullen and built by Cyrus Dace.
Topics.
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Location. 37° 58.055′ N, 91° 21.387′ W. Marker is in Steelville, Missouri, in Crawford County. It is on Main Street (State Highway 8/19) east of 4th Street, on the right when traveling east. Marker is on the county courthouse grounds. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 302 Main Street, Steelville MO 65565, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in South-Central Missouri. It is also in the American Ozarks, in the Lewis & Clark Corridor, and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, the Louisiana Purchase, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Crawford County Vietnam Era Veterans (a few steps from this marker); World Wars Memorial (a few steps from this marker); The Korean War
Also see . . .
1. Crawford County, Missouri, Official Website. (Submitted on October 11, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
2. Crawford County, Missouri at Wikipedia. (Submitted on October 11, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
Credits. This page was last revised on December 16, 2020. It was originally submitted on October 11, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,203 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 11, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
