top of page

JASPER COUNTY COURTHOUSE
circa 1895
Carthage Square

Courthouse.jpg

Jasper County’s first courthouse was a small, one-story building built in 1842 at a cost of $398.50, located on the north side of the Carthage Square.  The second courthouse was a two-story brick building completed in 1854 at a cost of $4,760.  It was used as a hospital during the Civil War and burned down in 1863.  For the next 32 years, the county government used temporary locations including a school, an old jail, a church, and other buildings around the square.

​

Completed in 1895, the Jasper County Courthouse was constructed from locally quarried limestone known as Carthage "Marble," showcasing the Richardsonian Romanesque architectural style.  Built at a cost of $100,000, the courthouse features distinctive elements such as turrets, towers, and arched entrances.  Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, it continues to serve as the county's seat of government and is celebrated as one of Missouri’s finest courthouses.  Often cited as the most photographed building in the state after the St. Louis Arch, it also houses a tower clock crafted by the renowned Seth Thomas Clock Company.  

​

FUN FACTS:  

  • The lantern at the top of the clock tower is 176 feet from the ground.

​

  • The permanent illuminated “Peace Star” atop the lantern was conceived and donated by Ruth I. Kolpin who envisioned it as a lasting symbol of peace and hope.​

​

  • A cage elevator installed in 1916 is still in use today!

bottom of page