Columbia County is named for Columbia, which is a female personification of the United States of America.
Surrounding County and Parish Courthouses:
N – Nevada County and Ouachita County
E – Ouachita County and Union County
S – Claiborne Parish, Louisiana and Webster Parish, Louisiana
W – Lafayette County
Created: December 17, 1852
County Seat:
Magnolia 1852 – present
County Courthouse – Magnolia
Location: 101 South Court Square / Main Street
Built: 1905 – 1906
Style: Renaissance Revival
Architect: William S Hull
Contractor: B C Bynum Construction Company and J B Carr & Company
Description: The building faces east and is a three story buff colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Magnolia. The foundation is rusticated stone. The east front has a large portico with three arches on the first story, balcony and six Corinthian columns on the second story with decorative pediment above. There is a wide cornice running below the flat roof line. In the center of the building is a round flat top dome. The interior has a central rotunda and the original wooden stairwell. The courtroom is located on the second story. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 13th Judicial District.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Columbia County Courthouse
See: The 13th Judicial District includes Calhoun County, Cleveland County, Dallas County, Ouachita County and Union County.
History: The county was created in 1852 and Magnolia was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a temporary log structure built immediately after the county formed in 1852. In 1856, a more permanent courthouse was built. In 1905 the third and present courthouse was constructed at a cost of $58,631.
County Courthouse – Magnolia
Picture 1905 Courthouse
Photos takes 2010 and 2019