Abbeville County Courthouse

Abbeville County Courthouse (South Carolina)
Abbeville County Courthouse (South Carolina)
Location Court Square, Abbeville, South Carolina
Coordinates 34°10′40″N 82°22′42″W / 34.1778°N 82.3782°WCoordinates: 34°10′40″N 82°22′42″W / 34.1778°N 82.3782°W
Built 1908
Architect William Augustus Edwards; builder: Frederic Minshall
Architectural style Beaux Arts
Governing body County
MPS Courthouses in South Carolina Designed by William Augustus Edwards TR
NRHP Reference # 81000706[1]
Added to NRHP October 30, 1981

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]

History

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

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.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13.
  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 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

External links