The Person:
From the Wikipedia Entry on Patrick Henry:
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"Patrick Henry (May 29, 1736 – June 6, 1799) was an American attorney, planter, and orator well known for his declaration to the Second Virginia Convention (1775): "Give me liberty, or give me death!" A Founding Father, he served as the first and sixth post-colonial Governor of Virginia, from 1776 to 1779 and from 1784 to 1786.
Henry was born in Hanover County, Virginia, and was for the most part educated at home. After an unsuccessful venture running a store, and assisting his father-in-law at Hanover Tavern, Henry became a lawyer through self-study. Beginning his practice in 1760, he soon became prominent though his victory in the Parson's Cause against the Anglican clergy. Henry was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses, where he quickly became notable for his inflammatory rhetoric against the Stamp Act of 1765.
In 1774 and 1775, Henry served as a delegate to the First and Second Continental Congresses, but did not prove particularly influential. He gained further popularity among the people of Virginia, both through his oratory at the convention and by marching troops towards the colonial capital of Williamsburg after the Gunpowder Incident until the munitions seized by the royal government were paid for. Henry urged independence, and when the Fifth Virginia Convention endorsed this in 1776, served on the committee charged with drafting the Virginia Declaration of Rights and the original Virginia Constitution. Henry was promptly elected governor under the new charter, and served a total of five one-year terms.
After leaving the governorship in 1779, Henry served in the Virginia House of Delegates until he began his last two terms as governor in 1784. The actions of the national government under the Articles of Confederation made Henry fear a strong federal government and he declined appointment as a delegate to the 1787 Constitutional Convention. He actively opposed the ratification of the Constitution, a fight which has marred his historical image. He returned to the practice of law in his final years, declining several offices under the federal government. A slaveholder throughout his adult life, he hoped to see the institution end, but had no plan for that beyond ending the importation of slaves. Henry is remembered for his oratory, and as an enthusiastic promoter of the fight for independence."
The Place:
From the Wikipedia page for Henry County, Missouri:
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"Henry County is a county located in the western portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the population was 22,272. Its county seat is Clinton. The county was organized December 13, 1834 as Rives County but was renamed in 1841 for Revolutionary War patriot Patrick Henry. The county originally had been named after William Cabell Rives, who was then serving as a U.S. Senator from Virginia. However, Rives lost popularity in Missouri after he joined the Whig Party.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 732 square miles (1,900 km2), of which 697 square miles (1,810 km2) is land and 35 square miles (91 km2) (4.8%) is water."
The Courthouse:
From the National Register Application:
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"c. 1893
Three-story masonry Romanesque public building with sandstone foundation, sandstone wall treatment, and rectangular footprint. It has eight bays, five in the front and three on the side, and a shingled, steeply hipped roof with cross gables over the entrances. The four centered entrances are hooded by single Italianate arches with Italianate pilasters. The north and south sides of the courthouse have two additional hooded Italianate arches with Italianate pilasters, one on either side of the entrances. In 1984 the windows were replaced with black ionized aluminum windows that run the height of the three stories. On all sides the windows above the arches span the height of the second and third stories. The original tower, constructed of copper and impermanent materials, was removed in 1969 as it was considered structurally unsound. All outside sandstone is original and in good condition."