Catoosa County | US Courthouses

Catoosa County is named for Catoosa Springs, which were located near Ringgold and were named after a Cherokee word meaning “small mountain”.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Hamilton County, Tennessee

E – Whitfield County

S – Walker County

W – Walker County

Created: December 5, 1853

County Seat:

Ringgold 1853 – present

County Courthouse – Ringgold

Location: 7694 Nashville Street / Maple Street

Built: 1939 – 1940

Style: Colonial Revival

Architect: Crutchfield & Law

Contractor: Barrett Construction Company

Description: The building faces north and is a two story red colored brick, limestone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Ringgold. The north front has a projecting center section with framed recessed entrance on the first story and flanked by double pilasters. At the roof line is a pediment. On the center of the roof is a square white colored cupola. The building was constructed under the Public Works Administration. The building is connected on the south side by a walkway on the second story to the Justice Building. In the interior, the hallways run north-south and east-west. There is a six-foot high marble wainscoting of Georgia Cherokee marble, terrazzo floors and original stairways and doors. On the second story the County Superior Court courtroom is located at the center. On the south side, the courtroom has a large Palladian window with stained glass. There are the original wooden benches and woodwork. The building houses the County Superior Court, County Juvenile Court and County Probate Court of the 7th Judicial District.

County Justice Building – Ringgold

Location: 875 Lafayette Street / Maple Street

Built: 1938 – 1939

Style: Modern

Architect: William Crutchfield and Halbert G Law Architects

Contractor: Unknown

Description: The building faces south and is a three story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Ringgold. The south front has a central recessed entrance on the first story with a one story wing extending south on the west side. The second story has a long horizontal window. In the interior there are two small courtroom located on the first story. The building is connected to the courthouse on the north side by a walkway on the second story. The building houses the County Superior Court, County Juvenile Court, County Probate Court and County Magistrate Court of the 7th Judicial District. The building was originally constructed as the jail and then converted for use with the addition of courtrooms.

Note: The original building was constructed as a jail in 1938 to 1939. Later a two story addition was constructed. The architect was Par Bales. A further two story addition was constructed over the jail area. The architect was Ross Andrews. The first floor of the jail was renovated into offices. The architect was Killian and Clark Architects.

History: The county was created in 1853 and Ringgold was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a two story brick structure built in Ringgold in 1856 at a cost of $6,845. A third story was added for the Masonic Lodge. The building was torn down in 1939. The second and present courthouse was constructed in 1939 t0 1940 at a cost of $84,545. In 1985 to 1986, the County Justice Building was constructed on the site of the old jail.

County Governmental Building – Ringgold

Location: 796 Lafayette Street / Maple Street

Built: 2005 – 2006

Style: Modern

Architect: Killian Clark Partnership Inc.

Contractor: T U Parks Construction Company

Description: The building faces northeast and is a one story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Ringgold to the south of the courthouse. The building has a south wing and a west wing which join at the entrance which has an arched portico. On the roof is an octagonal cupola with steep green colored roof. The wings have porches supported by dual white colored columns. In the interior, the entrance lobby extends up into the cupola.