Scioto County is named for the Scioto River which is named for the Wyandot Native American word meaning “deer”.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Pike County and Jackson County
E – Jackson County and Lawrence County
S – Greenup County, Kentucky and Lewis County, Kentucky
W – Adams County
Created: April 1, May 1, 1803 
County Seat:
Alexandria 1803 – 1817
Portsmouth 1817 – present
County Courthouse – Portsmouth
Location: 602 7th Street / Court Street
Built: 1925 – 1927
Style: Neo-Classical
Architect: John Scudder Adkins of Cincinnati
Contractor: Eric Strindberg ( supervised construction )
Description: The building faces south and is a four story brick, concrete and Indiana limestone structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Portsmouth. The building sits on a granite foundation and is constructed of yellow brick covered with a thin layer of marble blocks. The south front has a slightly projecting center section with seven arches on the first story. On the second and third stories are ten Ionic columns rising to the entablature. The fourth story is recessed. The roof line is flat with a center court above the second story. The interior is composed of concrete and marble with brick walls covered in white plaster. There is a large center rotunda rising two stories which contains some massive marble columns quarried in Georgia, along with bronze light standards. The rotunda dome is surrounded by murals, still quite brilliant in color. And from the multicolored leaded glass dome hangs a beautiful chandelier. The courtroom is located on the south side of the second story.
History: The county was created in 1803 and Alexandria was selected as the county seat. The county rented premises and the first courthouse was built in 1816 at a cost of $3,264. In 1817, Alexandria became part of Portsmouth which became the county seat. The second courthouse was a two story structure built in 1837 at a cost of $12,640. In 1887, an addition was made to the original structure. The courthouse was razed in 1925. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1925 to 1926 at a cost of $1,040,000.
County Courthouse – Portsmouth
Photos taken 2012 and 2018