Crawford County is named for William Harris Crawford, who was a presidential candidate as well as United States Secretary of the Treasury and Secretary of War.
Created: January 23, 1829
County Seat:
Little Piney River 1829 – 1834
Liberty Hill 1834 – 1835
Steelville 1835 – present
County Courthouse – Steelville
Location: SW – Main Street / South 2nd Street
Built: 1885 – 1886
Style: Federalist
Architect: J J Upchurch
Contractor: Hollow and Salzer
Description: The building faces north and is a two story red colored brick and stone structure. The building was 71 feet by 36 feet. The north front has a porch supported by four columns. The center section projects from the main building and has a peaked roof. An addition was added on the east side in 1974. The architect was Dan Mullen and the contractor was Cyrus Dace. The Circuit Court is located on the east side at 111 South 2nd Street.
Note: The first court met at the home of James Harrison at Little Piney River. A clerk’s office was built in 1837. The first courthouse was designed by M W Trask and built by Obadiah Ferguson in 1839 to 1844. The second courthouse was built in 1857 and burned on February 15, 1873. The third courthouse was built by A E Dye and Sons under the supervision of Joe Davis at a cost of 9,775 in 1873 and was destroyed by fire on January 5, 1884. The cost of construction of the present courthouse was $7,500.
Courthouses:
N – Gasconade County and Franklin County
E – Washington County and Iron County
S – Iron County and Dent County
W – Phelps County and Gasconade County
Photos taken 2009