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Abbeville County Courthouse (South Carolina)
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Abbeville County Courthouse, 2008
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Location	Court Square, Abbeville, South Carolina
Coordinates	34°10′40″N 82°22′42″W / 34.1778°N 82.3782°W / 34.1778; -82.3782
Built	1908
Architect	William Augustus Edwards; builder: Frederic Minshall
Architectural style	Beaux Arts
MPS	Courthouses in South Carolina Designed by William Augustus Edwards TR
NRHP reference No.	81000706
Added to NRHP	October 30, 1981

The Abbeville County Courthouse, built in 1908, is an historic courthouse located in the east corner of Court Square, in the city of Abbeville in Abbeville County, South Carolina. It was designed in the Beaux Arts style by Darlington native William Augustus Edwards who designed several other South Carolina courthouses as well as academic buildings at 12 institutions in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. An arcade connects it to the adjoining Abbeville Opera House and Municipal Center, which Edwards also designed. In 1964, the courthouse was renovated by Lyles, Bissett, Carlisle, and Wolff of Columbia. On October 30, 1981, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It is included in the Abbeville Historic District.

History

The current courthouse is the sixth courthouse to serve Abbeville County. The history of the previous courthouses is as follows:

• 1st Courthouse – Wooden frame building, pulled down in 1825
• 2nd Courthouse (c. 1825) – Two-story brick building demolished after discovery of workmen's fraud (kaolin used instead of lime in mortar)
• 3rd Courthouse (c. 1829) – Designed by Robert Mills during his residency in Abbeville; found to be sinking & deemed unsafe
• 4th Courthouse (c. 1853) – Destroyed by fire in 1872
• 5th Courthouse (c. 1875) – Replaced by present structure in 1908

Artwork

Located inside the central hallway is a portrait of John C. Calhoun, twice vice-president and longtime senator from South Carolina. Calhoun was born southwest of the town on his father's plantation. He practiced law for a short time on the county square. The courthouse is located on land that once housed the law firm in which Calhoun practiced early in his career.

See also

• Christopher Werner who did iron work for the 5th courthouse.
• List of Registered Historic Places in South Carolina
• List of county courthouses in South Carolina
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Abbeville County, South Carolina

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
2. Courthouses in South Carolina Designed by William Augustus Edwards, National Register Nomination Form, October 30, 1981. These courthouses are: Sumter County Courthouse (1907); Abbeville County Courthouse (1908); Lee County Courthouse (1908-1909); Dillon County Courthouse (1911); Calhoun County Courthouse (1913); York County Courthouse (1914); Jasper County Courthouse (1915)
3. University of Florida biography of William Augustus Edwards Archived 2008-06-28 at the Wayback Machine Other examples of Edwards' work include the Unitarian Church, Atlanta, Georgia (1914), the Withers Building, Winthrop College, Rock Hill, South Carolina (1920s), the Currell College Building, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC (1920s), the Administration Building, Library, Science Hall, and Law Building, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida (1913-25), the Exchange Bank and Office Building, Tallahassee, Florida (1927), and the Library, Agnes Scott College, Decatur, Georgia (1930).
4. Abbeville County Courthouse, National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, October 30, 1981, pg. 2
5. South Carolina Department of Archives and History file on Abbeville County Courthouse
6. Abbeville County Courthouse (1908) Historical Marker, Historical Marker Database

External links

• Abbeville County website
• National Register listings for Abbeville County
• South Carolina Department of Archives and History file on Abbeville County Courthouse
• University of Florida biography of William Augustus Edwards
• Multiple Resource Area for 4 of the 9 courthouses designed by William Augustus Edwards - 12 pages
• Abbeville County Courthouse (1908) Historical Marker

v t e U.S. National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina
Topics	Contributing property Keeper of the Register Historic district History of the National Register of Historic Places National Park Service Property types
Lists by county	Abbeville Aiken Allendale Anderson Bamberg Barnwell Beaufort Berkeley Calhoun Charleston Cherokee Chester Chesterfield Clarendon Colleton Darlington Dillon Dorchester Edgefield Fairfield Florence Georgetown Greenville Greenwood Hampton Horry Jasper Kershaw Lancaster Laurens Lee Lexington Marion Marlboro McCormick Newberry Oconee Orangeburg Pickens Richland Saluda Spartanburg Sumter Union Williamsburg York
Lists by city	Charleston Columbia Greenville North Charleston Rock Hill
Other lists	Bridges National Historic Landmarks
Keeper of the Register History of the National Register of Historic Places Property types Historic district Contributing property

• County courthouses in South Carolina
• William Augustus Edwards buildings
• Buildings and structures in Abbeville County, South Carolina
• Courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina
• Government buildings completed in 1908
• National Register of Historic Places in Abbeville County, South Carolina
• 1908 establishments in South Carolina