Courthouses at the City Square

The remains of the 2nd Greene County Courthouse building (after it burned in 1861) are shown above in the center. The 3rd Courthouse building is shown above at the right.

From 1833 to 1838, the home of John Polk Campbell served as the first location for the Greene County Courthouse. The second location, a courthouse in the center of the Springfield city square (shown above in the center), was completed in 1840.  The county government soon outgrew its space in the 2nd courthouse. The county built a new building on the square and College Street. The third courthouse (shown above on the right) was completed in 1861.  The county had already decided that after the county offices were moved to the new building, that, to open up the city square,  the old courthouse building  would be torn down. It burned soon after it was closed in 1861.

(The above photo is shown courtesy of The History Museum for Springfield-Greene County for use in conjunction with the SMSU Campus Compact/WorldCom grant project. You must request permission from the History Museum for Springfield-Greene County to print, copy, or download this image for any other use.)