Lewis County is named for Morgan Lewis, who was the fourth Governor of New York.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
E – Herkimer County
S – Oneida County
W – Oswego County and Jefferson County
Created: March 28, 1805 
County Seat:
Martinsburg 1805 – 1864
Lowville 1864 – present
County Courthouse – Lowville
Location: 7660 North State Street / Trinity Avenue
Built: 1852 – 1853
Style: Greek Revival
Architect: Hiram S Lanpher
Contractor: Hiram S Lanpher
Description: The building faces southwest and is a three story red colored brick structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Lowville. The southwest front has a large portico with four white colored columns rising to a pediment at the roof line. The building is rectangular and has a flat roof line. An addition was added in 1875. A fire in 1947 destroyed the building. In 1948, the building was rebuilt adding a third story. The architect was Thomas P Phillips and the contractor was Wager Brothers Inc. An addition was constructed on the northeast side in 2007 to 2008. The building is a two story red colored brick, glass and concrete square shaped structure. The roof line is flat. The architect was Ashley McGraw Architects and the contractor was Charles A Gaetano Construction. On the north side is the two story red colored brick Clerk’s Office.
Note: The present courthouse served as the Town Hall from 1852 to 1855 and was built at a cost of $6,000.
Old County Courthouse – Martinsburg
Location: Highway 26 / Whitaker Road
Built: 1810 – 1812
Style: Federal and Italianate
Architect: General Walter Martin
Contractor: General Walter Martin
Description: The building faces west and is a two story white colored wood frame structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Martinsburg. and has a hipped roof. The center front portion was added at a later date. The old courtroom is located on the second story. The building now houses the town offices. The building is named as the Martinsburg Town Hall.
Note: The cost of construction was $1500 and the commissioners overseeing the building were Benjamin Van Vleck, Daniel Kelley and Jonathan Collins. Most of the town’s residence were out of the town when a surprise vote was held to move the county seat to Lowville. The outside outhhouses still remain behind the building.
See: The 5th Judicial District includes Herkimer County, Jefferson County, Oneida County, Onondaga County and Oswego County.
History: The county was created in 1805 and Martinsburg was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was built 1n 1810 to 1812 and is still standing. In 1864, the county seat was moved to Lowville. The second and present courthouse was constructed in 1852 to 1853 as a Town Hall at a cost of $6,000 and occupied as the courthouse in 1864. The courthouse was rebuilt in 1948 at a cost of $300,000. The modern addition was constructed in 2007 to 2008.
County Courthouse – Lowville
County Courthouse New Addition – Lowville
Old County Courthouse – Martinsburg
Former Courtroom
Photos taken 2010 and 2017