This is the third courthouse on this site, having served the judicial needs of Lancaster County since 1828. It replaced an earlier courthouse notorious for hosting the last witch trials in America. The first was a log structure erected in 1795. The two-story building of handmade brick (some 300,000 made by slave labor) with recessed arches in the English Palladian manner was built on designs attributed to South Carolina’s premier superstar, Robert Mills. The first floor walls are solid brick 24 inches thick, the second floor walls are 18 inches thick. A series of double barrel brick vaults supports the second floor and forms the ceiling of the first. The floors were brick but covered with wood in 1892. A ground floor room still retains an original fireplace.
The roof and second floor were seriously damaged by an arson attack in the summer of 2008 but officals were determined to restore the courthouse, designated a National Historic Landmark in 1973. It was not the first time a torch had been put to the building - General William Sherman’s Union troops attempted to burn it down but suceeded in only destroying some important papers.
The 30-foot Confederate monument out front was unveiled on June 4, 1909 has the distinction of being the first Confederate sculpture carved in the South. Previous monuments were carved in the North and transported to their sites. The $3,000 price tag was borne largely by the women of Lancaster County. The soldier on the monument is Captain Amos McManus of Lancaster County.
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