Jasper County Courthouse, located at the center of the one-acre public square in downtown Carthage, Missouri, is a monumentally proportioned example of county courthouse architecture in Missouri. The courthouse is a three-story Romanesque Revival-style building, with a high basement and an attic. Corner pavilions, towers (including a dominant, central clock tower), and dormers add complexity to the basic mass.
The north and south facades of the courthouse are 133' 8" long. The east and west facades are 106' 8" long. The lantern is 176' from the ground.
The courthouse is constructed of rectangular, rock-faced blocks of native Carthage "marble" (limestone), the joints and seams neatly pointed with Portland cement bead. The deep cornices, clock tower lantern, guttering, and downspouts are copper...
Jasper County Courthouse (1894-95), Carthage, Missouri, is significant as a fine example of the Romanesque Revival style of architecture, a style that dominated courthouse construction in Missouri between 1888 and 1908. This style incorporated many elements borrowed from the architecture of Henry Hobson Richardson who had revived Romanesque architecture in the 1870's and 1880's. The courthouse is also note worthy for political reasons; Annie Baxter, the first woman to be elected to the governmental post of County Clerk, held this office in Jasper County during the construction of the 1895 courthouse. In addition, the building has served as the site of jurisprudence in Jasper County [for more than 100 years].
Of the thirteen surviving courthouses built in this style in Missouri, Jasper County's is the most vigorous, "full-blown," and well-preserved example of the style. This courthouse is the only example that closely echoes the ideals of Richardson, one of the three great American-born architects who did more than any other architect to change the American concept of Romanesque to make it Richardsonian.
The Jasper County Courthouse is in excellent condition and continues to serve as the county courthouse. The grounds and building are well-maintained. There are several memorials located on the Courthouse grounds.
The Jasper County Courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.