The Colleton County Courthouse was built in 1820. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1971. The building is located corner of Jeffries and Hampton Streets in Walterboro,

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

. The building was put on the register as an example of

Greek Revival architecture The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but ...

and also due to its historical significance, since the first meeting on

nullification Nullification may refer to: * Nullification (U.S. Constitution), a legal theory that a state has the right to nullify any federal law deemed unconstitutional with respect to the United States Constitution * Nullification Crisis, the 1832 confront ...

was held in the building in 1828.

History

In 1817, Walterboro became the seat of Colleton County. The design of the courthouse is attributed to the architect Robert Mills. The building was completed in 1820 by Charleston contractors, J. & B. Lucas. In June 1828,

Robert Rhett Robert Barnwell Rhett (born Robert Barnwell Smith; December 21, 1800September 14, 1876) was an American politician who served as a deputy from South Carolina to the Provisional Confederate States Congress from 1861 to 1862, a member of the US H ...

, participating in the first meeting on

, which was held in the courthouse building, delivered a speech which urged John Taylor, the governor of South Carolina, to immediately convene a session of the state legislature. Another nullification meeting was held in October of the same year. In 2023, the courthouse was the venue for the

Trial of Alex Murdaugh ''State of South Carolina v. Richard Alexander Murdaugh'' was the trial of American former lawyer Alex Murdaugh for the murder of his wife, Maggie, and their 22-year-old son, Paul, on June 7, 2021. The trial in the fourteenth circuit of the So ...

Architecture

The courthouse building has two storeys and is made of brick. The entrance is built as a

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...

with four Tuscan columns and two staircases with ironwork railings. The courtroom is located in the second floor. The basement is raised. The original building from 1820 was considerably altered in 1939, when two wings were built.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina Courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina County courthouses in South Carolina Government buildings completed in 1820 Buildings and structures in Colleton County, South Carolina Robert Mills buildings National Register of Historic Places in Colleton County, South Carolina