Completed in 1897, the courthouse soon proved inadequate, the north half being added in 1906. The cornerstone in the front, older half, of the courthouse, however, is dated 1906. When Lincoln county was created in 1883 Davenport was designated the county seat though its largest town was Sprague. After a vote, Davenport lost its status as county seat, but, in 1895 the town of Sprague was levelled by a fire. This led to the county seat's return to Davenport, where it remains today.
A timeline affixed to the building mentions that the courthouse was modernized in 1938, and terrazzo floors installed, at a cost of $49,000, quite a lot when one considers that the 1897 building cost only $12,000. We have yet to find reference to this being a WPA project. It also mentions that an arson fire burned the second storey and roof but the building was fully restored for its centennial in 1996.
Built of buff brick with stone and terra cotta trim, the Lincoln County courthouse has a hybrid character, its entry portico and cupola taken from copy books illustrating au courant Colonial Revival components, while the second floor fenestration suggests an origin in the Richardsonian Romanesque style popular for county courthouses across the US.
From Washington State
Recessed into a large rectangular portico framed by Corinthian columns and pilasters, the double wood and glass doors of the entrance are topped by a large Roman arched glass filled transom, as are the side lights on either side.
The County Seat
The territorial legislature created Lincoln County on November 1, 1883, naming Davenport as temporary county seat. This spurred a fight with the (then) much larger town of Sprague -- Davenport's few buildings had barely been constructed, and the nearest rail line was 30 miles away. Spragueans fumingly bore the slight for one year, then emerged victorious when the county seat question was put to the ballot in 1884. Davenporters at first refused to relinquish their years-worth of official records, but eventually were forced to do so by a raiding party from their rival town.
Sweet revenge came in 1896 when Davenport -- by then clearly the major town in Lincoln County -- regained the seat. Sprague had recently suffered a major conflagration that had nearly taken the town. (County records were spared) Davenport residents built a fine courthouse and county jail, and Sprague released the records.
The Lincoln County Courthouse, built high on the bluff overlooking Davenport in 1897, was an important center for all Lincoln County residents. Despite the removal of the iron fence surrounding its grounds to aid the war effort during World War II, the imposing courthouse building continued to serve county residents until the night of December 21, 1995, when it was gutted by fire. A local teen admitted setting the blaze and served a prison term. The courthouse was painstakingly restored to its original exterior appearance (including replacing the iron fence that sets off the lush grounds surrounding the building), and modernized in its interior. It reopened with fanfare only one year after the arson incident.
From History Link
