National Historic Landmark

Lancaster County Courthouse

Lancaster, Lancaster County, South Carolina
Listed
February 23, 1971
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
71000788

About this property

Lancaster County Courthouse is a historic courthouse in Lancaster, South Carolina. Built in 1828, it has been in continuous use since then. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1973, as a possible work of Robert Mills, an important American architect of the first half of the 19th century. It also has the distinction of being the site of the last witch trials to take place in the United States. The Lancaster County Courthouse is located in the heart of downtown Lancaster, at the southwest corner of Meeting Street (South Carolina Highway 9) and Main Street (U.S. Route 521). It is a two-story masonry structure, built out of locally made bricks laid in English bond, with Flemish bond around the windows. Its main facade is five bays wide, with the main entrance on the second floor, accessed via stairs on either side of a projecting classical temple front supported by Tuscan columns. Windows are rectangular, set in round-arch openings. The interior of the ground floor has barrel-vaulted ceilings, providing support for the upper floor. The judge's bench in the main courtroom is a particularly fine example of Federal period wood carving. The courthouse was built in 1828 by Willis Alsobrook, and its design has been attributed, without conclusive evidence, to the architect Robert Mills, who is known to have designed the old 1823 county jail, also a National Historic Landmark. The building had been in continuous use as a courthouse until 2012, when the new county courthouse, located adjacent to it, was completed. In 2008, the courthouse was heavily damaged, but not destroyed, by fire caused by arson. It was fully restored in 2011 and turned into a museum. In April 2010, a local 18-year-old, Martavious Carter, was sentenced to 35 years in prison for the arson of the courthouse and other crimes. List of National Historic Landmarks in South Carolina National Register of Historic Places listings in Lancaster County, South Carolina Lancaster County Courthouse, Lancaster County (104 N. Main St., Lancaster), at South Carolina Department of Archives and History Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. SC-604, "Lancaster County Courthouse, 104 North Main Street at Dunlap Street, Lancaster, Lancaster County, SC", 13 photos, 3 color transparencies, 2 data pages, 1 photo caption page 100 North Main Street - Lancaster County Courthouse

Location

104 N. Main St.
Lancaster, Lancaster County, South Carolina
34.71931, -80.77396

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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Nearby Historic Sites

Lancaster County Jail
Industrial
0.1 mi
Lancaster Presbyterian Church
Industrial
0.1 mi
Lancaster Downtown Historic District
Listed
0.3 mi
Lancaster Cotton Oil Company
Listed
0.5 mi
Allison, Robert Barnwell, House
Industrial
0.7 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Rocky Mount (SC)
1780Revolutionary War
4.2 mi
Battle of Rocky Mount Jul 30 1780
1780Revolutionary War
5.3 mi
Battle of Hanging Rock (sub-action)
1780Revolutionary War
5.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Lancaster County Courthouse listed on the National Register?

Lancaster County Courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 23, 1971.

What type of historic resource is Lancaster County Courthouse?

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

Is Lancaster County Courthouse a National Historic Landmark?

Yes. Lancaster County Courthouse has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.

What is the period of significance for Lancaster County Courthouse?

The period of significance for Lancaster County Courthouse is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Lancaster County Courthouse?

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