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Lexington County S. C. Courthouse: Adapted from a Report by Mr. Nathan Kellett The Lexington County S.C. Courthouse is located at 139 East Main Street in Lexington"> Current News News Archives Family & Friends Links Home Page Lexington County S. C. Courthouse: Adapted from a Report by Mr. Nathan Kellett The Lexington County S.C. Courthouse is located at 139 East Main Street in Lexington"> Current News News Archives Family & Friends Links Home Page Lexington County S. C. Courthouse: Adapted from a Report by Mr. Nathan Kellett The Lexington County S.C. Courthouse is located at 139 East Main Street in Lexington"> Current News News Archives Family & Friends Links Home Page Lexington County S. C. Courthouse: Adapted from a Report by Mr. Nathan Kellett The Lexington County S.C. Courthouse is located at 139 East Main Street in Lexington"> Current News News Archives Family & Friends Links Home Page Lexington County S. C. 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Courthouse is located at 139 East Main Street in Lexington"> Current News News Archives Family & Friends Links Home Page Lexington County S. C. Courthouse: Adapted from a Report by Mr. Nathan Kellett The Lexington County S.C. Courthouse is located at 139 East Main Street in Lexington"> Current News News Archives Family & Friends Links Home Page Lexington County S. C. Courthouse: Adapted from a Report by Mr. Nathan Kellett The Lexington County S.C. Courthouse is located at 139 East Main Street in Lexington"> Current News News Archives Family & Friends Links Home Page Lexington County S. C. Courthouse: Adapted from a Report by Mr. Nathan Kellett The Lexington County S.C. Courthouse is located at 139 East Main Street in Lexington"> Current News News Archives Family & Friends Links Home Page Lexington County S. C. Courthouse: Adapted from a Report by Mr. Nathan Kellett The Lexington County S.C. Courthouse is located at 139 East Main Street in Lexington"> Current News News Archives Family & Friends Links Home Page Lexington County S. C. Courthouse: Adapted from a Report by Mr. Nathan Kellett The Lexington County S.C. Courthouse is located at 139 East Main Street in Lexington"> Current News News Archives Family & Friends Links Home Page Lexington County S. C. Courthouse: Adapted from a Report by Mr. Nathan Kellett The Lexington County S.C. Courthouse is located at 139 East Main Street in Lexington"> Current News News Archives Family & Friends Links Home Page Lexington County S. C. Courthouse: Adapted from a Report by Mr. Nathan Kellett The Lexington County S.C. Courthouse is located at 139 East Main Street in Lexington"> Current News News Archives Family & Friends Links Home Page Lexington County S. C. Courthouse: Adapted from a Report by Mr. Nathan Kellett The Lexington County S.C. Courthouse is located at 139 East Main Street in Lexington"> Current News News Archives Family & Friends Links Home Page Lexington County S. C. Courthouse: Adapted from a Report by Mr. Nathan Kellett The Lexington County S.C. Courthouse is located at 139 East Main Street in Lexington"> Current News News Archives Family & Friends Links Home Page Lexington County S. C. Courthouse: Adapted from a Report by Mr. Nathan Kellett The Lexington County S.C. Courthouse is located at 139 East Main Street in Lexington"> Current News News Archives Family & Friends Links Home Page Lexington County S. C. Courthouse: Adapted from a Report by Mr. Nathan Kellett The Lexington County S.C. Courthouse is located at 139 East Main Street in Lexington"> Current News News Archives Family & Friends Links Home Page Lexington County S. C. Courthouse: Adapted from a Report by Mr. Nathan Kellett The Lexington County S.C. Courthouse is located at 139 East Main Street in Lexington"> Current News News Archives Family & Friends Links Home Page Lexington County S. C. Courthouse: Adapted from a Report by Mr. Nathan Kellett The Lexington County S.C. Courthouse is located at 139 East Main Street in Lexington"> Current News News Archives Family & Friends Links Home Page Lexington County S. C. Courthouse: Adapted from a Report by Mr. Nathan Kellett The Lexington County S.C. Courthouse is located at 139 East Main Street in Lexington"> Current News News Archives Family & Friends Links Home Page Lexington County S. C. Courthouse: Adapted from a Report by Mr. Nathan Kellett The Lexington County S.C. Courthouse is located at 139 East Main Street in Lexington"> Current News News Archives Family & Friends Links Home Page Lexington County S. C. Courthouse: Adapted from a Report by Mr. Nathan Kellett The Lexington County S.C. Courthouse is located at 139 East Main Street in Lexington"> Current News News Archives Family & Friends Links Home Page Lexington County S. C. Courthouse: Adapted from a Report by Mr. Nathan Kellett The Lexington County S.C. Courthouse is located at 139 East Main Street in Lexington"> Current News News Archives Family & Friends Links Home Page Lexington County S. C. Courthouse: Adapted from a Report by Mr. Nathan Kellett The Lexington County S.C. Courthouse is located at 139 East Main Street in Lexington"> Current News News Archives Family & Friends Links Home Page Lexington County S. C. Courthouse: Adapted from a Report by Mr. Nathan Kellett The Lexington County S.C. Courthouse is located at 139 East Main Street in Lexington"> Current News News Archives Family & Friends Links Home Page Lexington County S. C. Courthouse: Adapted from a Report by Mr. Nathan Kellett The Lexington County S.C. Courthouse is located at 139 East Main Street in Lexington"> Current News News Archives Family & Friends Links Home Page Lexington County S. C. Courthouse: Adapted from a Report by Mr. Nathan Kellett The Lexington County S.C. Courthouse is located at 139 East Main Street in Lexington"> Current News News Archives Family & Friends Links Home Page Lexington County S. C. Courthouse: Adapted from a Report by Mr. Nathan Kellett The Lexington County S.C. Courthouse is located at 139 East Main Street in Lexington, South Carolina. The Lexington County Courthouse is located at 139 East Main Street in Lexington, South Carolina and is Lexington County’s sixth courthouse.  The three story classically inspired edifice was funded by federal grants disbursed from the Public Works Administration.  Built in 1939 and dedicated January 15, 1940[1], the building is a testament to the career of its architect, John Carroll Johnson.  To date, the Lexington County Courthouse remains an important element in the governing fabric of Lexington’s central business district. Exterior                 The Lexington County Courthouse is situated at the intersection of South Lake Drive and East Main Street in Lexington, South Carolina.  The 1.25 acres are bordered by Madden Street south of the property and the central business district to the west.  Located at the highest point in Lexington County, the courthouse is the centerpiece of the town.  The front elevation of the property parallels East Main Street and is buffered by a sidewalk and shrubbery.  Located directly next to the intersection of East Main Street and South Lake Drive is an historical marker erected by the South Carolina State Historic Preservation Office.  It commemorates the conveyance of the property to Lexington County by Barbara Corley and briefly describes the five previous courthouses.   The east elevation, also buffered by a sidewalk and shrubbery, is juxtaposed to South Lake Drive and includes monuments honoring the soldiers from the Civil War and World War II.  The rear elevation of the property includes the county jail, which is a two story red  [1] “An Inventory and Plan for the Preservation of Historical Properties in the Central Midlands Region.” June, 1974. On file at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Columbia, South Carolina.  ________________________ brick façade building.  Also classically inspired with ornate stone friezes above the double paned windows, the building directly complements the courthouse.  In addition to the county jail in the rear elevation of the property is the courthouse parking lot.  Finally, the west elevation is bordered by the city’s central business district and buffered by a driveway that provides access from the rear parking lot to East Main Street.                 The T-shaped three story building has a low pitched wooden gable roof, red brick and white stone façade divided by plate glass windows and a stone trim.  The building’s T-shaped structure is broken into two sections.  The front section includes the portion of the building that parallels East Main Street; while the rear section lies perpendicular to the front section and parallels South Lake Drive.  The front entrance is adorned by concrete steps leading to double kalamein and metal doors that access the first floor of the courthouse.  The entrance is between two simple pilasters, which serve as the border for the white stone that surrounds and protrudes from the front face of the building.  Above the pilasters are simple shield corbels, which have bronze lettering along the frieze that read, “THE LEXINGTON COUNTY COURTHOUSE.” Also worth noting are the classical spindle designs above the frieze of every window surrounding the courthouse.  The east and west elevations are similar in construction to that of the front elevation.  On the front section of the east elevation is a second entrance to the first floor of the courthouse.  Similar to the main entrance, the east entrance is embellished with concrete steps that lead to its double kalamein and metal doors.  Above the entrance is a balcony constructed of white stone.  A four feet stone railing with diamond shaped designs protects courthouse patrons. The west elevation has a similar protrusion as that of the east elevation, but does not have an entrance or a balcony.  The rear elevation is mainly constructed of red brick divided by windows and a white stone trim.  A concrete sidewalk from the back portion of the property leads to a kalamein and metal door entrance to the basement of the building.  Finally, the rear section of the building’s low, pitched gable roof is constructed of wood, red brick and stone.  On east and west portions of the roof are five spherical windows with a red brick frieze encircling the window frames and hidden copper gutters. Below the windows, on the either sides of the gabled roof, is a low, pitched stone roof that covers the remaining portions of the building.  Roof leaders allow for “run off” and are located on the back portion of the rear section and the east and west sides of the front section of the building.  Also, two skylights, fixed between three copper vents, provide lighting for the east and west side stairwells of the courthouse.     Interior                 The foundation or the basement contains six rooms and three vaults.  Used originally for storage, today the rooms are used as Lexington County’s Family Courts.  Leading from the rear elevation entrance, a narrow concrete hallway separates two brick walled rooms.  At the end of the corridor, where the front section of the building begins, are three vaults.  The vaults have concrete floors, brick walls and plaster ceilings.  Men and women’s rest rooms are on either side of the vaults and were originally intended for colored people.  Juxtaposed to the bathrooms are stairwells with brass twisted spindles and green tiled tread that lead to the remaining floors of the building.  The front section of the basement is divided by a brick wall and can only be entered from the kalamein and metal door next to the west side vault. Another narrow concrete corridor separates the remaining four rooms of the front section, which are constructed of concrete, brick and plaster.  Two wide hallways with terrazzo designed floors made of brass strips intersect the first floor.  The walls of the corridors are wainscoted with four feet white marble and plaster.  The ceiling is made of acoustical tile with plaster cornice molding.  The foyer just beyond the main doors of the courthouse has a tile floor which ends at the octagonal rotunda in the center of the building.  The Judge and Sheriff’s offices are separated by the foyer with the Judge’s office to the west and the Sheriff’s office to the east.  Both offices are equipped with vaults. To the west of the octagonal rotunda are the offices for the Probate Judge and Registration, public and private rest rooms, originally intended for white men, and a stairwell from the basement leading to the second floor.  To the east of the rotunda are offices for the County Commissioners and County Delegation, a janitor’s closet, storage room and public toilets, originally intended for white women.  At the end of the east side of the front section of the courthouse lies another tile foyer for the South Lakes Drive entrance and a stairwell from the basement leading to the second floor.  South of the rotunda, in the rear section of the first floor, are spaces for the Clerk’s Records and Office, Public Waiting Room, County Auditors and Treasurer.  Also worth noting is the vault in the Treasurer’s office and the steel and bronzed trimmed pass window between the Auditors and Treasure’s offices.  Finally, the second floor contains the courtroom of the building.  Within the courtroom are two sections, the public and court spaces.  Within the confines of the court space are the jury boxes which are located on the east and west wings of the judge’s bench on the north end of the room.  The bench is slightly elevated and is made of oak.  Raised pan doors adorn the front and rear elevations of the bench.  Directly behind and trimmed in oak are two pilasters which “support” an oak eave.  Above the eave is an ornate carving of a book, with a bull’s head accessory hanging directly below.  The jurors boxes are also adorned with raised pan doors; and are bordered with brass railings.  The rear west and east sides of the remaining court space are bordered by less ornate oak elevations with brass railings.  The entrances to the court space are secured by a brass chain.  The public space in the rear section of the building are bordered in the same marble trim, plaster walls and terrazzo design as the first floor corridors.  In addition to being tiled, the acoustical ceiling is stenciled and trimmed in plaster.  On either side of the public viewing areas are passages to the front section of the building and lead to the Jury rooms and the front section corridor.  Next to the Jury rooms are the stairwells and the public bathrooms.  The rooms that align the front section corridor include the Magistrate and Superintendent of Schools, Solicitors, and Judge’s offices and Witness and Grand Jury rooms.  Additions                  In 1970, Wessinger and Drake, supervised the additions project to the courthouse.  The project included: addition of courtroom space to the east and west portions of the rear section of the first floor of the courthouse, a three story stairwell next to the rear entrance and a covered “breeze way” that connects the county jail to the courthouse.  Despite these additions, the building remains operable as a courthouse and is in good condition.      The Lexington County Courthouse is significant under National Register Criterions A & C for architecture and history.  The building signifies the growth and commercial development of the city and county of Lexington in the first third of the twentieth century.  Furthermore, its erection is an example of the building projects created under the auspices of the Works Project Administration.  The courthouse and county jail’s classical facades and delicate interiors represent the work of master architect, J. Carroll Johnson, and remain distinctly superior to other edifices constructed during the period. Historical Background                 In an Act of the General Assembly of South Carolina, 1818 and ratified in 1831, the county seat, including its courthouse and jail, was transferred to the city of Lexington from Granby, South Carolina2.  The courthouse was situated on the highest point in the county along the main thoroughfare of Lexington’s central business district after Anna Barbara Corley deeded her property to the County of Lexington in 18203.  The first of six courthouses was erected in Granby, South Carolina in 1805.  Once the seat transferred, a second courthouse was erected on the Corley property in 1820-21.  A third courthouse was built in 1839 across the street from its predecessor and on the property of the current courthouse.  In February of 1865, General Sherman’s army laid siege upon Lexington and burned the courthouse and all of its records.  In 1866, a fourth courthouse was haphazardly constructed of hewn logs and weatherboard to 2 “Inventory and Plan for the Preservation of Historical Properties in the Central Midlands Region.” June, 1974. On file at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Columbia, South Carolina. 3 “Deed of Barbara Corley to State for New Lexington Courthouse Location.” Vol. D, pp. 162, 163. 1820. On file at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Columbia, South Carolina.  _____________________________ dispense the justice of the county.  By 1882 a fifth courthouse, a large modern styled brick two-story structure was constructed to replace the temporary facility built in 18664.                 In 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt, in Executive Order 7034, established the Public Works Administration (WPA) to assist in the nation’s economic recovery during the Great Depression5.  The strict guideline for securing grants from the WPA was based upon several criteria, including: the proximity of the relief project to the relief population, the man power required and time allotted for the completion of the project6.  In August of 1937, the Lexington County Commissioners passed a resolution to request funds from the WPA to construct a new county jail behind the courthouse7.  The WPA accepted the application on August 24, 1937.  Under the direction of the prestigious Columbia architectural firm, Wessinger and Stork, the Lexington County Jail was built by J. C. Heslep and completed in 19388.  On July 1, 1938, following the completion of the jail, the County Commissioners passed another resolution to request additional funds from the WPA for the erection of the county’s sixth courthouse9.  Through the tenacity of 4 Harmon, Horace. “Lexington County’s Six Courthouses.” On file at the Lexington County Museum Commission, Lexington, South Carolina 5 McMahan, Arthur W. et al. The Administration of Federal Work Relief. Public Administration Service. 1941. 6 Ibid. 7 “County Council Minutes 1937 – 1939.” On file at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Columbia, South Carolina. 8 Ibid. 9 Ibid. _____________________________ Senator A. L. Harmon of Lexington County, an Act of the General Assembly of South Carolina was passed to secure sixty-five thousand dollars in bonds for the construction of the new judicial facility10.                  J. Carroll Johnson, of Wessinger & Stork, designed the blueprints for the new building.  Johnson, an unobtrusive individual both personally and professionally, had a reputation as a master architect who was unparalleled in South Carolina during the Twentieth Century.  Trained in Chicago and Washington, D.C., Johnson was directly influenced by the Beaux-Arts and Classical Revival movements of the time.  Though involved in mainly residential designing, Johnson’s notoriety is manifested in his magnificent classical designs of the State Industrial School for Girls, University of South Carolina Field House, Sloan Building and Library renovations11.  However, his greatest design legacy remains the Lexington County Courthouse.  Construction began on the courthouse in late 1938.  The builders, T. E. Moore & J. R. Holcomb, worked directly with J. Carroll Johnson throughout the process until its completion in 193912.  On January 15, 1940, during a parade celebrating the Bi-centennial of the settlement of Lexington County, the new 10 Vertical Files of the Archives & History of South Carolina Folder 159, 2(m). On file at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Columbia, South Carolina.  11 Wells, John E. & Dalton, Robert E. The South Carolina Architects 1885 – 1935. New South Architectural Press. Richmond, Virginia. 1992. 12 Vertical Files of the Archives and History of South Carolina Folder 17 2(o). On file at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Columbia, South Carolina. _____________________________ courthouse was dedicated.  The 10, 000 guests that attended the dedication filled the large courtroom on the second floor of the courthouse to honor the achievements of AL Harmon & J. Carroll Johnson; as well as,  to recognize the prosperity and growth of the county13.   As population growth and economic prosperity continued, additions to the courthouse were required.  In 1970, bids for the additions included a three-story stairwell on the rear elevation, a covered “breezeway” connecting the county jail to the courthouse and additional rooms on the east and west sides of the rear section of the courthouse14.  Today, Lexington County continues to be impacted by the rampant sub-urbanization of Columbia’s growing population with the courthouse continuing to serve its judicial needs.                 Thus, the Lexington County Courthouse has and continues to contribute to the government fabric of the city and county of Lexington, which satisfies National Register Criteria A.  The property’s classically inspired red brick and stone façade honor the architectural career of one of South Carolina’s finest architects, J. Carroll Johnson and remains the only distinctive building of its period in Lexington County.  Therefor, the property also satisfies National Register Criteria C and should be included in the National Register of Historic Places. 13 “An Historical Parade Celebrating the Bi-Centennial of the Settlement of Lexington County & The Dedication of the New Courthouse.” On file at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Columbia, South Carolina. 14 Dispatch-News 7/16/70. “Bid Opening Set On Expansion of County Courthouse.” Return To Summary of Final Reports Return To Home Page