Abbeville County Courthouse

The Abbeville County Courthouse, built in 1908, is an historic courthouse located in the east corner of Court Square, in the city of Abbeville in Abbeville County, South Carolina. It was designed in the Beaux Arts style by Darlington native William Augustus Edwards who designed several other South Carolina courthouses[2] as well as academic buildings at 12 institutions in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.[3] An arcade connects it to the adjoining Abbeville Opera House and Municipal Center, which Edwards also designed. In 1964, the courthouse was renovated by Lyles, Bissett, Carlisle, and Wolff of Columbia.[4] On October 30, 1981, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It is included in the Abbeville Historic District.[5]

Abbeville County Courthouse (South Carolina)
Abbeville County Courthouse (South Carolina)
LocationCourt Square, Abbeville, South Carolina
Coordinates34.1778°N 82.3782°W / 34.1778; -82.3782
Built1908
ArchitectWilliam Augustus Edwards; builder: Frederic Minshall
Architectural styleBeaux Arts
MPSCourthouses in South Carolina Designed by William Augustus Edwards TR
NRHP reference No.81000706[1]
Added to NRHPOctober 30, 1981

History

The current courthouse is the sixth courthouse to serve Abbeville County. The history of the previous courthouses is as follows:[6]

  • 1st Courthouse - Wooden frame building, pulled down in 1825
  • 2nd Courthouse (c. 1825) - Two-story brick building demolished after discovery of workmen's fraud (kaolin used instead of lime in mortar)
  • 3rd Courthouse (c. 1829) - Designed by Robert Mills during his residency in Abbeville; found to be sinking & deemed unsafe
  • 4th Courthouse (c. 1853) - Destroyed by fire in 1872
  • 5th Courthouse (c. 1875) - Replaced by present structure in 1908

Artwork

Located inside the central hallway is a portrait of John C. Calhoun, twice vice-president and longtime senator from South Carolina. Calhoun was born southwest of the town on his father's plantation. He practiced law for a short time on the county square. The courthouse is located on land that once housed the law firm in which Calhoun practiced early in his career.

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See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. Courthouses in South Carolina Designed by William Augustus Edwards, National Register Nomination Form, October 30, 1981. These courthouses are: Sumter County Courthouse (1907); Abbeville County Courthouse (1908); Lee County Courthouse (1908-1909); Dillon County Courthouse (1911); Calhoun County Courthouse (1913); York County Courthouse (1914); Jasper County Courthouse (1915)
  3. University of Florida biography of William Augustus Edwards Archived 2008-06-28 at the Wayback Machine Other examples of Edwards' work include the Unitarian Church, Atlanta, Georgia (1914), the Withers Building, Winthrop College, Rock Hill, South Carolina (1920s), the Currell College Building, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC (1920s), the Administration Building, Library, Science Hall, and Law Building, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida (1913-25), the Exchange Bank and Office Building, Tallahassee, Florida (1927), and the Library, Agnes Scott College, Decatur, Georgia (1930).
  4. Abbeville County Courthouse, National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, October 30, 1981, pg. 2
  5. South Carolina Department of Archives and History file on Abbeville County Courthouse
  6. Abbeville County Courthouse (1908) Historical Marker, Historical Marker Database
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