Winston County Courthouse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Winston County Courthouse
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Winston County Courthouse
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 Location in Alabama
Location in the United States
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| Location | Addison Rd., Double Springs, Alabama |
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| Built | 1894 |
| Architect | Davis, John Eayres & Co.; Ingles, Andrew Jackson |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 87001416 |
| Added to NRHP | August 27, 1987 |
The Winston County Courthouse is a special historic building in Double Springs, Alabama. It's where important county decisions are made and records are kept. This courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 27, 1987, which means it's recognized as a very important historical site.
Contents
Building the First Courthouse
The story of the Winston County Courthouse began on April 8, 1850. Back then, the area was called Hancock County. A group of people decided it was time to build a courthouse. They asked everyone in the county to help.
People were told to bring their tools, camping gear, and even their work animals. About 50 men arrived on the first day. They worked hard to clear the land where the courthouse would stand. By the next morning, about 75 men were there, ready to help. Many of them were related to soldiers from the American Revolution!
The first courthouse was built like a log cabin. It was about 16 feet wide and 24 feet long. The walls were made of thick logs, about 8 inches thick. The roof was made of long, flat pieces of wood called clapboards. For the floor, they used thick, split logs called puncheons. These were about 4 inches thick.
The building had a wide door at one end. There was also a large stone chimney for a fire. Small windows had wooden shutters that could swing open. The benches inside were also made from puncheons. Amazingly, the main part of the building was almost ready in just two days! The workers came back later to finish it.
Moving and Rebuilding
In 1858, Hancock County changed its name to Winston County. The courthouse was then moved to a place called Houston. But the courthouse faced some tough times. On August 23, 1864, a fire destroyed it.
After the fire, a new law was passed to build another courthouse and a jail. But sadly, this new building also burned down on February 23, 1868. People had to pay a special tax to help rebuild it again.
Later, in 1877, a part of Winston County became part of Cullman County. This meant Houston was no longer in the middle of Winston County. So, in 1882, a decision was made to move the county seat to Double Springs. The move happened on July 23, 1883.
In Double Springs, a new two-story wooden courthouse was built. It was 40 feet by 60 feet. But on August 5, 1891, fire struck again, destroying this courthouse too!
The Current Courthouse
Work on the current courthouse began on May 29, 1893. This time, they decided to build it with strong, native sand rock. This rock was similar to what was used in other buildings in town. Many people worked on the building, including William C. Miles and Francis Hadder.
The beautiful new courthouse was finished in 1894. It cost about $12,444 to build. This is the building you can still see today!
Courthouse Improvements
Over the years, the Winston County Courthouse has been updated and expanded.
- In 1911, an extra section was added. This cost about $4,000.
- In 1929, a new fire-proof section and a jail were added. This was a big project that cost around $70,000.
- The 1950s saw another addition to the east side of the building, costing $35,000.
- In 1962, more space was added to the north side. This addition cost $77,900. It created more room for the jail and offices for county officials. The rock for this part was quarried nearby by Kermit Adams.
- In the summer of 1982, a wooden addition was built for $38,950.
These improvements helped the courthouse grow and serve the community better over many decades.
