Tallahatchie County – Charleston is named for Native American word meaning “rock river”.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Quitman County and Panola County
E – Yalobusha County and Grenada County
S – Grenada County and Leflore County
W – Sunflower County and Coahoma County
Created: December 23, 1833 
County Seat:
Charleston 1833 – 1902
Charleston 1902 – present ( First Judicial District )
Sumner 1902 – present ( Second Judicial District )
* Tallahatchie County has two county seats
County Courthouse – Charleston
Location: 1 Court Square / Main Street
Built: 1974 – 1975
Style: Modern Classical Revival
Architect: Brewer, Godbold & Associates, Ltd.
Contractor: White Construction Company
Description: The building faces west and is a two story dark red colored brick and concrete structure. The square shaped building is located on the landscaped grounds on the Courthouse Square in the center of Charleston. The west and east fronts have a large portico with four white colored columns rising to a pediment with clock. The recessed central entrances are arched. The windows have white colored shutters. The roof line is hipped with a large railed platform at the top. The building houses the First District County Circuit Court of the 17th Judicial District, County Chancery Court, County Youth Court and County Justice Court.
Note: On the courthouse grounds is the cornerstone of the courthouse constructed in 1900. The architect was W Chamberlain & Company and the contractor was J J Glenfield Construction Company.
County Courthouse – Sumner
Location: 401 West Court Street / North Court Street
Built: 1909 – 1910
Style: Romanesque Revival
Architect: William Sharkey Hull of Jackson
Contractor: F B Hull Construction Company
Description: The building faces north and is a two story brown colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Sumner. The north front has a projecting center section with large arch and recessed entrance on the first story. On the second story are four arched windows with the building rising to a peak at the roof line. On the northwest corner is a four-story square brick tower with openings at the third story and clock at the fourth story with steep roof at the top. On the northeast corner is a two story square tower with arched windows and steep roof. There are similar tower on the southeast and southwest corners. The roof is hipped. In the interior, the first story has a wide hallway with brick floor and high ceiling. Stairs in the tower ascend to the second where the courtroom occupies most of the space. There are side walls with round arches that create an arcade on the east and west sidea of the courtroom. The building houses the Second District County Circuit Court of the 17th Judicial District, County Chancery Court, County Youth Court and County Justice Court. The architect was William Sharkey Hull of Jackson and contractor was F B Hull Construction Company. In 1973, the building was renovated. The architect was John Eldridge Decell, III.
See: The architect, William S Hull of Jackson also designed courthouses in Alabama in Bibb County and Choctaw County and in Mississippi in Covington County, Forrest County, Jefferson Davis County, Perry County, Pike County and Sharkey County.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Tallahatchie County Second District Courthouse
History: The county was created in 1833 and Charleston was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a log structure built by Kinchen Mayo built in 1834 at a cost of $88. The second courthouse was a brick structure built in 1844 at a cost of $2,500. The third courthouse was designed by W Chamberlain & Company and constructed by J J Glenfield Construction Company in 1900. In 1902, Sumner was designated as the second county seat. The fourth courthouse was constructed in 1903 in Sumner at a cost of $22,500. The architect was William Sharkey Hull of Jackson and the contractor was F B Hull and W S Hull. During construction, Sam Ewing was the superintendent of construction. After a fire in September 1908 destroyed the courthouse, the same architect and contractor rebuilt the courthouse as the fifth and present courthouse in Sumner in 1909 to 1910 at a cost of $13,500. The sixth and present courthouse was constructed in 1974 to 1975.
County Courthouse – Charleston
Cornerstone 1900 County Courthouse
County Courthouse – Sumner
Photos taken 2012