Tippah County is named for the Native American word meaning “cut off”, or named after Tippah wife of Pontotoc.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Hardeman County, Tennessee
E – Alcorn County and Prentiss County
S – Union County
W – Benton County
Created: February 9, 1836
County Seat:
Ripley 1837 – present
County Courthouse – Ripley
Location: 102 North Main Street / Eastt Spring Street
Built: 1870 – 1871 / 1928
Style: Spanish Revival
Architect: George W Patrick / Noah Webster Overstreet of Jackson
Contractor: Local labor and trades / Beckelheimer & Small.
Description: The building faces east and is a two story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds of the Courthouse Square in the center of Ripley. The east front has a projecting center section with three large high arches. The recessed entrance has a small pediment above. On the second story are three square windows. Flanking the arches are two columns rising to statues of soldiers. The west side has a similar façade. The north and south wings have a narrow horizontal white colored band running below the roof line. The roof is hipped. In the interior, the County Circuit Court courtroom is located on the second story. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 3rd Judicial District. The building was renovated in 1928. The architect was Noah Webster Overstreet of Jackson and contractor was Beckelheimer & Small. The sculptor was White Stone Company. To the west is the old County Jail built in 1935 and County Justice Court.
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See: The courthouse is similar in design to the Prentiss County courthouse also designed by Noah Webster Overstreet of Jackson and who also designed courthouses in Alcorn County, Bolivar County, Choctaw County, Franklin County, Pontotoc County, Rankin County and Webster County.
County Chancery Court Building – Ripley

Location: 105 East Spring Street / North Main Street
Built: 1956 – 1957
Style: Modern
Architect: T H Johnston, Jr.
Contractor: Andrew Bortick. ( construction superintendent )
Description: The building faces south and is a two story buff colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located in the center of Ripley on the north side of the courthouse. The south front has a recessed glass panel entrance. A wide white colored horizontal band runs below the flat roof line. The building was constructed for the Peoples Bank. In 2000, the building was remodeled to house the County Chancery Court and County Youth Court. The architect was George A Thomason of Olive Branch and the contractor was S & S Construction Company. Inc.
History: The county was created in 1836 and Ripley was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a log structure in 1836. The second courthouse was a brick structure built in 1838. The courthouse was burned by Union troops in 1864. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1870 to 1871 and renovated in 1928.

County Courthouse – Ripley






County Circuit Court courtroom







County Chancery Court Building – Ripley



Old County Jail / County Justice Court – Ripley


Photos taken 2012 and 2017