KIRKSVILLE, MO --
Every county has one, but there's a unique story to how the Adair County Courthouse came to be.
“We've been through three courthouses. The first courthouse was there where Bank Midwest is and that was a temporary courthouse for about ten years and then in 1854, the second courthouse was built,” said Pat Ellebracht, Former Adair County Historical Society President.
Courthouse number two burned down in 1865 and it would be another 35 years and five elections until citizens voted to borrow money to build a new one. Meanwhile, county offices and records were located in various buildings downtown.
Made out of blue limestone, the new courthouse took two years and $60,000 to build.
“People came from far and wide to see the new courthouse and it was quite a celebration. That would have been in March of 1899,” said Ellebracht.
This courthouse was the first building in Kirksville to have incandescent lighting and one of the first to install indoor plumbing. April 27th of 1899's when they had the very bad cyclone and they said it looked like the cyclone was going right toward the new courthouse but it veered off and went to the northeast before it got to the courthouse.
The Adair County Courthouse has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places for several decades.
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