Bolivar County | US Courthouses

Bolivar County is named for Simon Bolivar, who was a South America hero and founder of several South American countries.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Coahoma County

E – Coahoma County and Sunflower County

S – Washington County

W – Chicot County, Arkansas and Desha County, Arkansas

Created: February 9, 1836

County Seat:

Bolivar Landing 1836 – 1844

Jackson’s Point 1844 – 1847

Bolivia 1847 – 1852

Prentiss 1852 – 1866

Beulah 1866 – 1872

Rosedale 1872 – present ( First Judicial District )

Cleveland 1900 – present ( Second Judicial District )

* Bolivar County has two county seats.

County Courthouse – Cleveland

Location: 200 South Court Street / North Pearman Avenue

Built: 1923 – 1924

Style: Italian Renaissance

Architect: Noah Webster Overstreet

Contractor: W C Stout

Description: The building faces south and is a three story buff colored brick structure. The building is located on spacious landscaped grounds in the center of Cleveland. The south front has a central section with four large columns and recessed arched windows on the second story. The east and west sections project from the main building. Between the outer sections and the central section are two square towers rising above the roof line. The red colored roof is hipped. In the interior, the County Circuit Court courtroom is located on the second story. The building houses the 2nd District County Circuit Court for the 11th Judicial District, County Chancery Court, County Court and County Youth Court. In 1957, an addition was constructed. The architect was Harold Kaplan and the contractor was D M Fleming, Jr. The building was restored in 2012. The architect was Belinda Stewart Architects, PA and the contractor was Roy Collins Construction Company, Inc.

See: The architect, Noah Webster Overstreet of Jackson, also designed courthouses in Alcorn County, Choctaw County, Franklin County, Pontotoc County, Prentiss County, Rankin County, Tippah County and Webster County.

See: The 11th Judicial District includes Coahoma County, Quitman County and Tunica County.

History: The county was created in 1836 and Bolivar Landing was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a frame structure built in 1841 at a cost of $595. The county seat was settled in Rosedale ( Floreyville ) in 1872 and a courthouse was built in 1872 to 1873. In 1900 the county was divided into two districts and a courthouse was designed by William S Hull and constructed by W B Hull and W S H Hull in Cleveland in 1901. The courthouse square was donated by W L Pearman. The jail, housed in a separate building, was built by the Pauley Jail Co. from St. Louis at a cost of $30,000. In 1923, the original courthouse was demolished and in 1924 the present building took its place at a cost of $150,000. Designed by N.W. Overstreet, prominent Jackson architect, the courthouse was added onto in 1938–this addition was used as a jail.

County Courthouse Annex – Cleveland

Location: 201 South Court Street / South Pearman Avenue

Built: Unknown

Style: Modern

Architect: Unknown

Contractor: Unknown

Description: The building faces north and is a two story buff brick and concrete structure. The building is located in the center of Cleveland to the south of the courthouse. The windows are horizontal in groups of four windows. The east section of the building rises two stories. The roof line is flat The building was originally the County Health Department and was converted to the Courthouse Annex in 2002. The architect was Barranco Architecture & Interior Design of Jackson and the contractor was Roy Collins Construction Company, Inc.

County Courthouse – Rosedale

Location: 801 Main Street / Dr. Martin Luther King Street

Built: 1922 – 1924

Style: Neo-Classical

Architect: Kramer & Lindsley of Jackson

Contractor: S W Leard of McCool

Description: The building faces west and is a one story buff colored brick structure. The building is located on spacious landscaped grounds in the center of Rosedale. The west front has a small central porch with two columns and recessed entrances. On the wide header above the porch at the roof line is a clock. A wide cornice runs below the flat roof line. Vertical piasters divide the double windows. The courtroom is located in the center of the building. The building houses the 1st District County Circuit Court for the 11th Judicial District, County Chancery Court, County Court and County Youth Court. The building was renovated in 1960. The architect was Norwood & Kenny.

Note: When the county seat was moved to Rosedale in 1972, a courthouse was erected at a cost of $10,000. The building burned in 1877 and a frame courthouse was built but in 1889, the courthouse was removed from the site and served as the town hall. The previous courthouse, a brick structure, was designed by Bartlett & Thompson and constructed by John T Barnes in 1889 at a cost of $36,000. The present courthouse was constructed on the same site in 1922 to 1924.