Lexington County Courthouse
Introduction
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Erected in 1939, the Lexington County Courthouse is historically significant for its connection to New Deal programs and serving as the center of judicial functions for the county until a modern facility was built across the street in 2003. The building was constructed using funds from the Public Works Administration (PWA), one of many federal agencies established during the Great Depression to boost the national economy. In this way, the courthouse represents the federal government's effort to provide job opportunities—in this case, construction jobs—to Lexington workers. In terms of architecture, the courthouse combines elements of the Classical Revival and Art Deco styles in a restrained manner typical of WPA-funded buildings. The judicial center houses most of the county government functions but the old courthouse houses the Lexington County Magistrate Court and the Lexington Central Traffic Court.
Images
The Lexington County Courthouse was built in 1939 thanks in large part to funds from the Works Progress Administration. While most courthouse functions are located in the modern facility across the street, the courthouse is still is used today and remains an important landmark in Lexington.
Backstory and Context
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By the late 1930s, Lexington County was in need of a new courthouse as the one used up to that point was no longer adequate. The county requested funds from the PWA to build a new courthouse in 1938. The PWA sent a $35,000 grant and also granted a $65,000 loan to the county and residents voted in approval of the project in August. The courthouse, which was the county's seventh, was completed in December 1939 and dedicated in January the next year in a celebration that included a parade. The courthouse was built after a new jail, which was also funded by the WPA as well, was erected in 1937. The courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.
The courthouse is also significant for being the site of a notable court case in 1942 in South Carolina history that resulted in the execution by electric chair of the first woman in the state. The woman, Sue Logue, was found guilty in a murder-for-hire scheme that started from a disagreement about $20. The execution took over three minutes. Logue was one of only two women in the state to be electrocuted.
Sources
Chidress, Jessie. "Lexington County Courthouse." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. April 21, 2014. https://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/places/pdfs/14000164.pdf.
Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lexington_County_Courthouse,_Lexington,_South_Carolina.JPG