Lee County Courthouse

National Register Listing

Street Address:

123 Main St., Bishopville, SC (Lee County)

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NRHP Nomination

Record Number:

S10817731003

Description and Narrative:

Lee County Courthouse, the first and only courthouse for Lee County, was built six years after the formation of the county in 1902. The courthouse was financed by two bond issues at a cost of $75,000 and was considered one of the finest, most modern courthouses in the state. Lee County, named after Robert E. Lee, was formed from portions of Sumter, Kershaw, and Darlington Counties. The Neo-Classical design, the formality of the composition, and the stone and yellow brick construction suggest a Roman precedent, both of architecture and of law. The courthouse was built in 1908-1909 by contractor Nicholas Ittner of Atlanta. William A. Edwards, of the firm of Edwards and Walter, Atlanta, was the architect. The courthouse is a three-story brick and stone building of Neo-Classical design. A colossal portico in antis defines the façade. The portico features four stone Tuscan columns on stone pedestals, with paired pilaster at the junctions of the portico and the single-bay pavilions which flank the portico. The body of the courthouse is of yellow brick, laid in American Flemish bond, with flush mortar joints. Stone trim is used throughout for window surrounds, water table, and the entablature. A Civil War memorial, a mounted cannon, and a flagpole occupy the courthouse grounds. Listed in the National Register October 30, 1981.

Period of Significance:

1908

Level of Significance:

State

Area of Significance:

Architecture

National Register Determination:

listed

Date of Certification:

October 30 1981

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