The historic and amazing Ripley County Courthouse in Missouri

Ripley County Courthouse, Doniphan, Missouri.Photo byDean Sebourn, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Ripley County Courthouse is at 100 Courthouse Square in Doniphan, Missouri (Ripley County). It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 7, 1976. The architecture of the courthouse is a variant of the Second Empire style.

The Ripley County Courthouse has been in the City of Doniphan for over 130 years. The courthouse site used to be the same location where two previous courthouses stood. The current courthouse is a massive example of architecture in the county.

George Lee gave 50 acres for the town, naming it after Mexican War Colonel Alexander W. Doniphan. The county was organized in 1833 and named after General Eleazar W. Ripley of the War of 1812. On July 16, 1860, a wooden courthouse was authorized to be built. One of Doniphan’s early settlers, Lemuel Kittrell, supervised the construction.

Unfortunately, the courthouse building was burned by Union soldiers during the end of the Civil War. The county records were hidden in a cave, possibly the Wells Creek Cave north of Doniphan. The records remained there until 1867 when they were recovered by county clerk, V. Hutcherson.

Before a $10,000 bond was issued to construct a brick courthouse, the court officials met at homes and businesses. In 1898, this building also burned.

In May 1899, the current and third courthouse was built. The architect was William F. Schrage and John M. Anderson from Emporia, Kansas won his bid for the construction project. Schrage designed other Missouri courthouses: Laclede County (burned in 1920); Howard County (1887), and Morgan County (1889).

During the 1930s, a Work Projects Administration (WPA) project repaired storm and tornado damage, but the courthouse was without central heating or regular maintenance until the 1970s. In 1976, major remodeling started.

Interestingly, the grounds of the courthouse is nearly a square. There is 250 feet on each side of the building. The square is outlined by a native stone wall built by the WPA. There's a sidewalk outside the wall on all sides except the west side. The west side of the square contains the county jail.

Thanks for reading.