Lafayette County Courthouse
National Register of Historic Places

Lafayette County Courthouse

Oxford, Lafayette County, Mississippi
Listed
September 22, 1977
Type
Building
Period
Civil War
Ref No.
77000791

About this property

The Lafayette County Courthouse is located in Oxford, Mississippi and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The current structure was constructed in 1872 to replace an earlier building burned during the Civil War by Union troops directed by General Andrew Jackson Smith. Spires Boling of the firm Willis, Sloan and Trigg was the courthouse's architect. Two subsequent expansions of the building were performed. In 1952 and 1953, the west and east bays were added. The structure was renovated in 1981. The Courthouse currently houses several judicial courtrooms and related offices, including the Third Circuit Judicial District Court, and the Third Circuit District Drug Court, which both serve Benton, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Lafayette, Marshall, Tippah, and Union counties. The Courthouse also contains the office of the Circuit Court Clerk. According to the court's website, "Mississippi's Circuit Courts hear felony criminal prosecutions and civil lawsuits. Circuit Courts hear appeals from County, Justice and Municipal courts and from administrative boards and commissions such as the Workers' Compensation Commission and the Mississippi Department of Employment Security." As the structural centerpiece to the home of William Faulkner, the Courthouse also plays a significant role in Faulkner's fictional Jefferson County. The Courthouse appears in multiple works. These include stories featuring the lawyer Gavin Stevens (including Knight's Gambit), the dramatic ending to The Sound and the Fury, and elements of Go Down, Moses.

Location

Oxford, Lafayette County, Mississippi
34.36640, -89.51876

Categories

POLITICS/GOVERNMENTARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Conflict & War
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The Civil War
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The Soldiers
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Native Heritage
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Settlement
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The Community
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Nearby Historic Sites

Oxford Courthouse Square Historic District
Listed
0.1 mi
South Lamar Historic District
Listed
0.1 mi
St. Peter's Episcopal Church
Pre Contact
0.2 mi
Isom Place
Pre Contact
0.2 mi
North Lamar Historic District
Pre Contact
0.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Lafayette County Courthouse listed on the National Register?

Lafayette County Courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 22, 1977.

What type of historic resource is Lafayette County Courthouse?

Lafayette County Courthouse is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Lafayette County Courthouse?

The period of significance for Lafayette County Courthouse is recorded as the civil_war era.

Can I research the history near Lafayette County Courthouse?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Lafayette County Courthouse will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

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