Lexington Missouri Tour, Lafayette County Court House

By University of Central Missouri Department of History, Emily Fisher

The Lafayette County Court House in Lexington, Missouri opened in 1847. It was the third county courthouse built in Lexington. The first court house was built in 1825 and was destroyed by fire on July 4th, 1831.

The second court house, built on the same site in 1835, was an extravagant three-story building that was thought to be one of the nicest courthouses in the State of Missouri. The Baptist Female College purchased the building and the present-day courthouse, built in 1847, took its place, but in a different location in Lexington.

The 1847 courthouse was extant during the Civil War. During the Battle of Lexington in 1861, one of the columns in the front of the courthouse was struck with a cannon ball and today the cannon ball is still embedded and visible in the column.

Images

Official Website

https://www.lafayettecountymo.com/history

Cite this Page

University of Central Missouri Department of History, Emily Fisher , “Lexington Missouri Tour, Lafayette County Court House,” Historic Missouri, accessed May 3, 2024, https://historicmissouri.org/items/show/106.

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Published on Oct 7, 2022. Last updated on Dec 25, 2023.