The Person:
From Find-a-Grave entry on Josiah Howell:
(link)
"BIRTH 1763
Bertie County, North Carolina, USA
DEATH 29 Nov 1849 (aged 85–86)
West Plains, Howell County, Missouri, USA
BURIAL
Howell Family Cemetery
West Plains, Howell County, Missouri, USA
Josiah, his wife Sarah (Lassiter) Howell and daughter-in-law, Emeline (Campbell) Howell were buried in the Howell Family Cemetery. The cemetery was located on the present Walnut Street in West Plains. The Arcade Hotel was built over the cemetery in 1901. The Arcade Hotel has since been torn down. No remains were exhumed."
From MoGenWeb entry on Josiah Howell:
(link)
"The first white settler in what is now Howell County was a hunter named Adams. who settled at the "town spring" in the summer of 1839. At the time, his nearest neighbor was said to have lived 20 miles away. That same year Adams sold his "improvements" to Josiah Howell who migrated here from Tennessee and is credited with being the first permanent settler in the county which now bears his name."
The Place:
From the Wikipedia page for Howell County, Missouri:
(link)
"Howell County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the population was 40,400. The largest city and county seat is West Plains. The county was officially organized on March 2, 1851, and is named after Josiah Howell, a pioneer settler in the Howell Valley.
Howell County comprises the West Plains, MO Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Howell County was organized on March 2, 1857, from Oregon County, and is named for Josiah Howell, who made the first settlement in Howell Valley.
The first Circuit Court met in a log cabin one mile east of West Plains, according to an 1876 account. A small, wooden courthouse was built on the square in West Plains in 1859. It was damaged during the Civil War in 1862. The county was reorganized three years later, but all of the county records were destroyed in an 1866 fire. A second courthouse was built in West Plains in 1869. It was a small, three-room, frame building, about 24 by 30 feet."
The Courthouse:
From the National Register Application:
(link)
"A three-story Art Deco courthouse which is located in the center of the town square. Built of Carthage stone, the building is a rectangular box with Art Deco-inspired ornamentation. The stone cornice has chevron detailing. Stepped stone detailing surrounds the entrances to the building doors, which are centered on each elevation. Windows and doors appear to be modern replacements, but the original openings are intact. A stone elevator tower has been installed in the center of the south facade."