Bravo, Hinds County!  These are the kinds of courthouses I would expect locations of your stature to have!  Dominant in Jackson, elegant in Raymond, well designed in both.  Unfortunately, Jackson could never be the center of political gravity here.  Not when it’s blocks away from… …the Mississippi State Capitol.  As capitols go, I liked it.  … Continue reading 901. Jackson/Raymond, Hinds County (MS11) →

I liked the Rankin County Courthouse more than the last few I had been to.  It had a little more heft and gravitas to it.  And, I thought, I was going to get lucky on time because there was a cache across the street!  But, like back in Forest, no joy.  I couldn’t quite tell … Continue reading 900. Brandon, Rankin County (MS10) →

Another small-town courthouse which, like Decatur, was neither bad nor good.  Perfectly adequate is a thing.  I thought that Forest might be a city of chickens, much like Winnfield with pigs and Marysville with squirrels (Meridian was supposed to be a city of carousel horses, but I only saw one while I was there).  I … Continue reading 899. Forest, Scott County (MS09) →

The Newton County Courthouse was a small-town courthouse, neither good nor bad.  Decatur, to its credit, was the birthplace of civil rights activist Medgar Evers and had he been buried here, I would have made a beeline to add his grave to my list of notables.  Unfortunately (for several reasons), he is in Arlington so … Continue reading 898. Decatur, Newton County (MS08) →

Government center?  It’s not the traditional old-school courthouse I felt Meridian must have, but several important county offices were based there, so it would have to do.  It was early, I was cold, and I already felt like I was running behind at six in the morning.  I had planned to be up earlier, but … Continue reading 897. Meridian, Lauderdale County (MS07) →

Alright, I don’t even know what was going on with this courthouse.  Some kind of courthouse anarchy, perhaps?  The monuments were on one side, the entrance on another.  I couldn’t even see a flagpole, and I still don’t know if it was just obscured by all the trees or if it wasn’t there at all.  … Continue reading 896. Livingston, Sumter County (AL07) →

Is this the county courthouse?  I mean, it has a plaque on the front that says “Greene County.”  The property is called Courthouse Square.  There’s a flag and a monument out front.  You would think that they could at least afford some lettering or a larger signage that says “Greene County Courthouse,” but what do … Continue reading 895. Eutaw, Greene County (AL06) →

I wouldn’t call myself a fan of the courthouse, but I didn’t not like it.  Clean lines with an imposing height, it was functional but not some brutalist nightmare of a building.  I was dead on that it was built in the 1960’s (1963-4 to be exact).  But what really caught my eye was “Lurleen.”  … Continue reading 894. Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa County (AL05) →

How many Jefferson Counties does this make now?  Now it’s nine, tying it with Washington Counties!Birmingham has a chonker of a courthouse, but I would expect no less from a city with its history.  Unfortunately, that history is not one to be envied.  There’s a reason why it once had the nickname “Bombingham.”  I took … Continue reading 893. Birmingham, Jefferson County (AL04) →

This entire county is full of tricks!  First and most importantly, the county has two county seats which didn’t come up in my preparations.  Consequently, I only went to one courthouse, the one in Ashville.  While I am not required to return (I have one courthouse, after all), I have no doubt I’ll get back … Continue reading 892. Ashville/Pell City, St. Clair County (AL03) →