Lancaster County Historic Courthouse – Lancaster, South Carolina

This impressive building in downtown Lancaster was designed by famed architect Robert Mills, who is best known as the designer of the Washington Monument in our nation’s capital. It was built in 1828 to serve as the Lancaster County Courthouse, and served as such until a fire severely damaged it in 2008. The building has since been restored and is now used as a welcome center, and a new Lancaster County Courthouse was constructed next door.

The folks at See Lancaster, a non-profit group which promotes travel and tourism in and around the “Red Rose City” sent us the picture below and told us that “hearts sank on the morning of August 4, 2008 when residents of Lancaster witnessed their beloved historic county courthouse burning. Fire destroyed the roof and most of the interior. Worse news was to follow when they learned a teenage suspect had been arrested for arson. The courthouse, built in 1828, retained many original features and was still in use as a hall of justice when it was set ablaze.”

On March 23, 2009, just a few months after the devastating fire, roof frames were returned. The roof’s restoration uses timbers similar to the original design and each truss is signed by local firefighters, emergency workers, and government officials.

Learn more about the history of this building by visiting its listing in the National Historic Register.