Lawrence County is named for James Lawrence, who was a naval hero during the War of 1812. The…read morecounty was created in 1816 from partss of Gallia and Sioto counties. The county seat was moved from Burlington to Ironton in 1851. After the previous county courthouse was lost to fire, this one was completed in 1908 and blends Greek Revival and Beaux-Arts styles. It was designed by the Columbus-based firm Richards, McCarty & Bulford. It is a three-story structure made of brown cut stone and concrete, standing on a hill overlooking downtown Ironton and the Ohio River. The large central dome with a copper roof acts as a crown over the building. Inside, the courthouse features stone floors and walls, high wooden doors with glass panels, and sweeping staircases with iron railings. The grounds of the courthouse include a Vietnam Veterans Memorial, a replica of the Statue of Liberty and a memorial commemorating Ironton's annual Memorial Day Parade, recognized as the oldest continuing Memorial Day observance in the U.S., dating back to 1868. [Review 615 of 2025 - 302 in Ohio - 24176 overall]

I recently called the probate office at Ironton courthouse, and I told the lady The question I had…read moreand she said one moment please, she then connected me to another person in the probate office and I ask her the question and she did not know therefore she had asked someone else, they were not friendly whatsoever in fact When we were hanging up I heard the girl tell someone else what I had said, in other words they were making fun of me because of what I said. And I heard them, I don't think this was very appropriate of people working and our government offices. And specially being made fun of. And if this girl actually worked in this office then she should have no one the answer without lying the phone down and going and asking someone else. If you're going to make fun of people you should at least make sure you hang up the phone first. I am very upset what's this. If anyone out there knows who I could contact personally of this happening please let me know.

The 1908 Grayson County Courthouse in Independence has that proud early twentieth-century presence…read morethat feels both formal and handmade, its Classical Revival design by Frank Milburn* giving it the symmetry, brick massing, and columned entry that Virginia counties favored when they wanted to project stability. Grayson County itself was named for William Grayson, a US Senator from Virginia in the 1780s and the town's name, Independence, was chosen to mark the nation's spirit after the revolution. It hasn't always been the county seat. That honor originally belonged to Greenville, but won the seat in the early nineteenth century as settlement shifted westward and the community grew into a more central civic hub. By the time I visited on Friday afternoon, the courthouse was closed, which actually made the experience better. With the sunset hitting the brick and no one around, I could walk right up to the building and appreciate the details without interruption. The grounds still have the expected and familiar Confederate monument, but since this building is no longer the active courthouse, it feels more like a historical artifact than a statement. Today, the structure serves administrative and community functions rather than full judicial operations, and wandering the quiet grounds made it easy to admire the architecture without the bustle of modern court traffic. [Review 886 of 2026 - 1537 in Virginia - 26067 overall] *I've seen many of Milburn's courthouses including the 1904 Wilkes County in Washington GA, 1907 Rockingham County in Reidsville NC, 1909 Swain County in Bryson City NC, 1914 Rowan County in Salisbury NC, Boyd County in Catlettsburg KY and more than 250 other major buildings across the South.

This lovely courthouse serves Knox County which was named for Henry Knox, who was the United States…read moreSecretary of War from 1785 to 1794. The structure was completed in 1964 though the county itself was formed in 1799 when it was split with Lincoln County. The building faces north and is a two story buff colored brick and concrete structure. The north front has a large portico supported by four large Corinthian columns rising to the pediment at the roof. In the center of the pediment is a clock. At 5:00pm on a Saturday, the building was secured. The outside has a few statues and monuments though none that mention the Civil War. [Review 20147 overall - 189 in Kentucky - 1123 of 2023.]

No longer the Rowan County Courthouse, this facility now houses the county Art Center. But back in…read morethe day, it was the courthouse. And it was burned during the Civil War and then in a later fire. The marker reads, "Twenty-two Kentucky courthouses were burned during Civil War, nineteen in last fifteen months: twelve by Confederates, eight by guerrillas, two by Union accident. Courthouse at Morehead burned by guerrillas March 21, 1864, the easternmost damaged incident to war. Building was again burned in 1880. County records before 1880 all destroyed by fires." The courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. It is absolutely worth a visit if you're in Morehead. [Review 13476 overall, 795 of 2020.]