Lauderdale County is named for James Lauderdale, who was killed in the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812.
Surrounding Count Courthouses:
N – Dyer County
E – Crockett County and Haywood County
S – Tipton County
W – Mississippi County, Arkansas
Created: November 24, 1835 
County Seat:
Ripley 1835 – present
County Courthouse – Ripley
Location: 100 Main Street / Washington Street
Built: 1936 – 1937
Style: Art Deco
Architect: Joseph Holman and Thomas Marr of Nashville
Contractor: R M Condra Company
Description: The building faces east and is a two story yellow colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on the landscaped grounds of the Courthouse Square in the center of Ripley. The east front has a projecting center section with entrance on the first story and rising to an arched window on the second story. The building recesses in tiers with vertical windows. The roof line is flat. In the interior, the building is designed in a cruciform plan. The first story rotunda is located at the center of the cruciform and has an inlaid terrazzo map of county. Zig-zag angular Art Deco decorative elements are used throughout. The walls are buff colored glazed brick. The courtroom is located in the center of the second story. The building was a Work Projects Administration project. The building houses the County Circuit Court, County Chancery Court, County General Sessions Court and County Juvenile Court of the 25th Judicial District.
See: The architect, Joseph Holman and Thomas Marr of Nashville, designed courthouses in Bedford County, Franklin County, Hardin County, Madison County, McNairy County, Obion County, Pickett County, Sumner County and Weakley County. They also designed the Tennessee Supreme Court in Nashville.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Lauderdale County Courthouse
See: The 25th Judicial District includes Fayette County, Hardeman County, McNairy County and Tipton County.
History: The county was created in 1835 and Ripley was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a log structure built in 1836 at a cost of $200. The second courthouse was a frame structure built in 1844 at a cost of $4,000, was moved to the square and burned in 1869. The third courthouse was an Italianate brick structure constructed in 1870 at a cost of $20,000. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed at a cost of $125,000.
Counrty Courthouse – Ripley
Photos taken 2011 and 2018