Webster County is named for Daniel Webster, who was a statesman, senator and the United States Secretary of State.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Dallas County and Laclede County
E – Wright County
S – Douglas County and Christian County
W – Greene County and Dallas County
Created: March 3, 1855 
County Seat:
Marshfield 1855 – present
County Courthouse – Marshfield
Location: 101 South Crittenden Street / Madison Street
Built: 1939 – 1941
Style: Art Deco
Architect: Earl Hawkins of Springfield
Contractor: Earl Hawkins of Springfield under the Work Projects Administration and the WPA Engineer was L J McAdams.
Description: The building faces south and is a three story Carthage stone and concrete structure. The building faces south and was completed in 1941. The building is located on the landscaped grounds of the Courthouse Square in the center of Marshfield. The west front has a central entrance on the first story and the center section rises higher than the north and south wings. The windows are vertical and the roof line is flat. This was a Work Projects Administration project.
See: The architect, Earl Hawkins designed courthouses in Howell County, Laclede County and Ozark County.
County Justice Center – Marshfield
Location: 101 North Crittenden Street / East Jefferson Street
Built: 2018 – 2020
Style: Modern
Architect: HMN Architects Inc. of Overland Park, Kansas
Contractor: Septagon Construction of Sedalia
Description: The building faces southwest and is a two story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located in the center of Marshfield on the northeast side of the courthouse. The southwest front has a glass paneled entrance on the first story and large window above on the second story. Above, a large clock rises above the flat roof line. On the south side is an arcade on the first story. The courtroom is located on the second story.
See: The 30th Judicial District covers Benton County, Dallas County, Hickory County, Polk County and Webster County.
History: The county was created in 1855 and Marshfield was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a two story wood frame structure built under the supervision of James M Allen as superintendent in 1856 to 1857. The courthouse was destroyed by fire in 1863 during the Civil War. The second courthouse was a two story brick structure built by Dr. E Hovey in 1867 to 1870 at a cost of $17,000. In 1880, the courthouse was damaged by a tornado and was repaired and cupola added by R P Goodall and Frank A Bradshaw. The courthouse was razed in 1939. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1939 to 1941 at a cost of $150,000. The County Justice Center was constructed in 2018 to 2020. At a cost of 18,500,000.
County Courthouse – Marshfield
Photos taken 2009