Old Courthouse

National Register Listing

Street Address:

1207 Caldwell St., Newberry, SC (Newberry County)

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NRHP Nomination

Record Number:

S10817736002

Description and Narrative:

The Old Court House, erected 1852, was designed by Jacob Graves and built by James Damron. An outstanding example of Greek Revival architecture in stuccoed brick, the building has six fluted, Tuscan columns which support a massive, triangular pediment. The intricate Doric entablature includes a frieze design of alternating triglyphs and undecorated metopes and regulas of architrave and mutules of cornice decorated with guttae. The building’s elaborate detail and massive proportions attest to the affluence of pre-Civil War Newberry County. During Reconstruction, Osborne Wells was assigned the task of remodeling the courthouse. Wells’ additions included two-column porticos at side entrances and a bas-relief mounted on the frontal pediment. This bas-relief depicts the spirit of the prostrate state: a U.S. eagle holds an uprooted palmetto tree in its talons; perched upon the tree roots is a gamecock crowing defiantly; at the top of the tree a dove bears an olive branch. This building, the fourth in a series of five County Courthouses, was used for court sessions between 1852 and 1906. Listed in the National Register August 19, 1971.

Period of Significance:

1852

Level of Significance:

Local

Area of Significance:

Architecture

National Register Determination:

listed

Date of Certification:

August 19 1971

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