Bedford County is named for Thomas Bedford, who was an officer in the American Revolutionary War and a large land owner in the area.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
E – Coffee County
S – Moore County and Lincoln County
W – Marshall County
Created: December 3, 1807 
County Seat:
Pryor House 1807 – 1810
Shelbyville 1810 – present
County Courthouse – Shelbyville
Location: 1 Public Square / West Holland Street
Built: 1934 – 1935
Style: Classical Revival
Architect: Joseph Holman and Thomas Marr of Nashville
Contractor: Sam McClain
Description: The building faces south and is a three story buff brown colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on the landscaped grounds of the Public Square in the center of Shelbyville. The south and north sides have rectangular openings on the first story and six columns rising from the second story to the third story with pediment above. The east and west sides have four columns rising from the second story to the third story with a header above at the roof line. On the center of the roof is a square white colored cupola with clock at the top. In the interior, the Circuit Court courtroom is located on the second story and the Chancery Court courtroom is located on the third story. The building houses the County Circuit Court, County Chancery Court, County General Sessions Court and County Juvenile Court of the 17th Judicial District. The building was a restructuring of the 1873 building. The building was restored in 1993. The architect was Davis-Stokes-Chilton Collaborative PC of Nashville and the contractor was North Carolina Corporation of Columbus, Ohio. On the west side is the County Courthouse Annex.
See: The architect, Joseph Holman and Thomas Marr of Nashville, designed courthouses in Franklin County, Hardin County, Lauderdale County, Madison County, McNairy County, Obion County, Pickett County, Sumner County and Weakley County.. They also designed the Tennessee Supreme Court in Nashville.
County Justice Complex – Shelbyville
Location: 108 Northcreek Drive / Summit Lane
Built: 2018 – 2020
Style: Modern
Architect: Spirit Architecture Group
Contractor: Bell & Associates Construction
Description: The building is a one story white colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds to the north the center of Shelbyville on highway 231. The front of the building has a large concrete portico supported by four concrete columns. The entrance section is curved and the roof line is flat. The building has four courtrooms and also houses the jail.
See: The contractor Bell & Associates ( Ray Bell Construction Company, Inc. ) also constructed the Justice Center in Davidson County and Rurtherford County and the Courts Center in Montgomery County.
See: The 17th Judicial District includes Lincoln County, Marshall County and Moore County.
History: The county was created in 1807 and Pryor House was selected as the county seat. The county seat was moved to Shelbyville in 1810 and the first courthouse was built in 1810. The second courthouse was built in 1821 and was destroyed by a tornado in 1830. The third courthouse was built in 1830 and was destroyed by fire in 1863. The fourth courthouse was constructed in 1873 at a cost of $120,000. The building was burned in 1934 by a lynch mob. The fifth and present courthouse was constructed in 1934 to 1935. The County Justice Complex was constructed in 2018 to 2020.
County Courthouse – Shelbyville
County Courthouse Annex – Shelbyville
Photos taken 2012 and 2018