Pontotoc County

US States / M / Mississippi / Pontotoc County
1112M12

Pontotoc County is named for Chief Pontotoc who was a Native American chief or for the Native American word meaning “weed prairie”.

 

Surrounding County Courthouses: 

N – Union County

E – Lee County

S – Chickasaw County and Calhoun County

W – Calhoun County and Lafayette County

 

Created:  February 9, 1836                                                        Map of Mississippi highlighting Pontotoc County

County Seat: 

Pontotoc  1836 – present

 

County Courthouse – Pontotoc 

 

Location:  29 Washington Street / South Main Street

Built:  1916 – 1917

Style:  Classical Revival

Architect:  Noah Webster Overstreet of Jackson and Mahan & Broadwell of Memphis, Tennessee

Contractor:  Dobson & Olive

 

Description:  The building faces north and is a two story buff colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Pontotoc. The north front has a large porch with four columns rising to a wide header which has four short pillars rising to the roof line. The entrances are faced with white colored terracotta tile. The building has a mansard red colored title roof. In the interior, the large County Circuit Court courtroom is located on the south side of the second story and has large arched windows. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 1st Judicial District. The exterior of the building was renovated in 2003 to 2006. The architect was Belinda Stewart Architects of Eupora and the contractor was Hooker Construction Company, Inc. of Pontotoc. The building was restored in 2006 by the same architect and contractor. On the northwest is the County Chancery Court Building and on the east side is the County Justice Court.

 

See:  The courthouse is similar in design to the Alcorn County courthouse also designed by Noah Webster Overstreet of Jackson and who also designed courthouses in Bolivar CountyChoctaw CountyFranklin CountyPrentiss CountyRankin CountyTippah County and Webster County.

 

History: The county was created in 1836 and Pontotoc was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was built in 1840. An addition was designed by Hiram Higgins and built in 1855. The second and present courthouse was constructed in 1916 to 1917.

 

 

1113m12

County Courthouse – Pontotoc

 

 

1114m12

 

 

1116m12

 

 

1117m12

 

 

1118m12

 

 

1119m12

 

 

1120m12

 

 

1121m12

 

 

1122m12

 

 

1541t17

County Circuit Court courtroom

 

 

1542t17

 

 

1543t17

 

 

1544t17

 

 

1545t17

 

 

1546t17

 

 

1547t17

 

 

1548t17

Photos taken 2012 and 2017