Ripley County Court House

Erected 1898 — Restored 1976

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 19, 2021

1. Ripley County Court House Marker

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From the National Register Nomination prepared by Margaret B. Shemwell, June 29, 1975:
The Ripley County Courthouse is a two-story (plus high basement and attic) brick structure with stone foundation located on approximately 1¼ acres of ground. The architecture is a variant of the Second Empire style. The major

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 19, 2021

2. Ripley County Court House Marker

The marker is on the right side of the east/front courthouse entrance.

architectural feature originally was a central east tower with mansard roof, dormer windows and a lantern. Each corner pavilion of the foursquare building had a mansard roof with dormer windows and cresting at the roof edges. These distinctive features were damaged in a tornado in 1929. They were repaired but never restored and so the building lost much of its original character.

Entrances are centered on the first story of each facade. The first story windows have segmental arches. Second story windows have round arches. The four entrance porches have been modified, their broad stairways replaced with narrower concrete stairs and the wooden balustrades replaced with native rock balustrades in a Work Projects Administration (WPA) project during the 1930's. The grounds upon which the courthouse is located are approximately square with approximately 250 feet on each side. The ground slopes from east to west. The square is surrounded by a low, native stone wall constructed by the WPA. Two wide hallways, one running east-west and the other north-south intersect each other in the center of the courthouse where the main stairway is located.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 19, 2021

3. Ripley County Court House (north elevation)

From the National Register Nomination:  The square is surrounded by a low, native stone wall constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

Offices opening off the hallways include County Clerk, Collector, Assessor, Circuit Clerk, Recorder and Treasurer, and Probate and Magistrate Judge. The second floor houses the Circuit Court Room with Judge's Chambers, Jury Room, Prosecuting Attorney's Offices and the Missouri Extension Service. The Juvenile Officer's office is also located on this floor.

The Ripley County Courthouse is historically important because it is the traditional location of county government and community events. The building has been the scene of all County Judicial activities since its construction. Countless murder cases have been heard before the Bar of the Circuit Court. The courthouse is the most monumental example of architecture in Ripley County and one of only several historic structures in this relatively isolated, sparsely populated southern Missouri county. The courthouse site was part of a 21-acre tract of land deeded to the county by George Lee and his wife for the development of a county seat. The site was designated as a public square in this original deed, and a wooden courthouse was authorized for construction at a cost of $6,000 on July

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 19, 2021

4. Ripley County Court House (west/rear elevation)

A portion of the historic (abandoned) Ripley County Jail is visible in the right foreground.

16, 1860. This building was burned by Union soldiers late in the Civil War. County records were hidden in a cave (probably Wells Creek Cave north of Doniphan) and remained there until 1867 when they were recovered. The court officials met in homes and business houses until a $10,000 bond issue to finance a brick courthouse was passed in 1871. This building burned January 1, 1898.

The present building was completed in May 1899, at a cost of $19,505. William F. Schrage was architect and John M. Anderson, Emporia, Kansas, was the low bidder for the construction contract. Marion L. Hudson established the brickyard and made the bricks for the building. Lumber was largely furnished by the mills of the county. As the courthouse housed the only auditorium in town, it was used for all community events — attracting large audiences: high school commencements, concerts, school programs, lectures and Chautauqua productions.

Excerpt:  Ripley County Courthouse is a historic courthouse located at Doniphan, Ripley County, Missouri. It was built in 1899, and is a two-story, brick

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 19, 2021

5. Ripley County Court House (south elevation)

building on a stone foundation with Second Empire style design influences. It has a central clock tower and corner pavilions with mansard roofs.

Excerpt:  Ripley County's current courthouse was designed by William F. Schrage of Kansas City, and was built by John McDonald Anderson of Emporia, Kansas in 1898–1899. A central tower, later destroyed during a 1929 tornado, dominated the two-story brick structure. Federal relief workers made repairs and renovations of the courthouse during the 1930s. An extensive remodeling project in the 1970s added central heating. The century-old courthouse is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places and celebrated its centennial during the 1999 Labor Day Homecoming Festivities.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 19, 2021

6. Ripley County Court House (east/front elevation)

From the National Register Nomination:  Wooden balustrades were replaced with native rock balustrades in a Work Projects Administration (WPA) project during the 1930's.