Ripley in Lauderdale County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

Lauderdale County Courthouse

Erected 1936

— County Established November 24, 1835 —

Lauderdale County Courthouse Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 25, 2022

1. Lauderdale County Courthouse Marker

Inscription.
This, Lauderdale County's fourth courthouse, was built in 1936 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. The first courthouse, a small temporary log structure was built in 1836 and sat on the corner on Ashport- Ripley Road, which is now Lake Drive at Monroe Street. In 1844 the first courthouse built on this site replaced it. That structure of one-and-a-half stories was destroyed by fire in 1867. The two-story brick building that replaced it in 1868 was razed in 1936 when this building was erected.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Charity & Public Work • Law Enforcement. In addition, it is included in the Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1936.

Location. 35° 44.766′ N, 89° 31.814′ W. Marker is in Ripley, Tennessee, in Lauderdale County. It is on North Main Street north of Washington Street, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 100 Court Square, Ripley TN 38063, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally,

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

this marker is in West Tennessee.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

in the Upper South,

and in the Mississippi Delta.

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,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 12 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Ripley, TN (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Hands Across America Mid-Point (approx. 1½ miles away); Alex Haley's Boyhood Home (approx. 5.7 miles away); Fort Pillow (approx. 5.7 miles away); Battle of Fort Pillow (approx. 7.4 miles away); Roark Bradford (approx. 11.1 miles away); Woodlawn Baptist Church (approx. 11.3 miles away); In Memory of Rev. Harden Smith (approx. 11.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ripley.

Regarding Lauderdale County Courthouse. It was the first courthouse in Tennessee that was partially funded by the federal Public Works Administration, It

Lauderdale County Courthouse image. Click for more information.

via NPS

2. Lauderdale County Courthouse

National Register of Historic Places Digital Archive on NPGallery website entry
Click for more information.

contributed $50,000 while the county issued another $75,000 in bonds to build the courthouse.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 25, 2022

3. Lauderdale County Courthouse Marker

The courthouse is in the background.

Lauderdale County Courthouse image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 25, 2022

4. Lauderdale County Courthouse

Credits. This page was last revised on October 25, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 26, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 390 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on June 26, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 2. submitted on June 28, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 3, 4. submitted on June 26, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.