Jasper County Courthouse re-dedication slated for October 9th
The Jasper County Courthouse in Carthage will officially be re-dedicated at 10 a.m. on October 9th.
Designed by Max Orlopp, Jr., it is built of Carthage marble.
Orlopp also designed the Dallas County Courthouse in Dallas, Texas.
The present structure originally was dedicated on October 9th, 1895.
“We’re going to have Jasper County historian Brad Belk as our guest,” says Jasper County Clerk, Charlie Davis.
“He’s going to give a history of the courthouse and of the county. Then, we’re going to have a ceremony to re-dedicate it to our citizens.”
Davis says one of the “coolest” features about the building is the elevator that was installed in 1916.
It has been in continual operation since then, with the exception of brief periods for remodeling and repair.
The present structure is not the first courthouse in Jasper County.
The Jasper County Court met for the first time on March 8, 1841, at the home of George Hornback.
The first Jasper County Courthouse was a one-story brick building built in 1842 by Levi H. Jenkins for $398.50.
A larger, two-story courthouse then was completed in 1854.
That Courthouse briefly served as a hospital during the American Civil War but was burned down during the Battle of Carthage in 1861.
After that, several buildings served as courthouse until the construction of the current building on the Carthage Square.
The Jasper County Courthouse was completed at a cost of $100,000.
A courthouse was also built in Joplin at the same time.
That structure was destroyed in a fire in 1911.