County: Randolph County
Location of old courthouse: Main St. & Depot St., Huntsville
Location of county: central upper third of state; crossroads of MO-3, US-63 & US-24
Organized: Jan. 22, 1829
Named after: John Randolph of Virginia
County seat: Huntsville
Elevation (highest): 256 meters (840 feet)
Population: 24,945 (2017)
"That portion of Randolph County which borders upon Howard County was first settled, and is now known as Silver Creek and Moniteau Townships. From the best and most reliable information that can be obtained, the first white man to permanently place his tent in what is now Randolph County, was William Holman, who emigrated to Missouri in 1817, from Madison County, Kentucky, and located in Howard County, where he remained until the following year (1818) and then moved to Randolph County, and settled in Silver Creek Township.
"Randolph County was organized in 1829, out of territory taken from Howard County, and named for John Randolph, of Roanoke, VA.
"When Randolph County was organized, it included Macon and all the territory north to the Iowa line or Indian Territory.
"The first county court that convened in Randolph County, was held on the 2d day of February, 1829 ... It was held at the house of Blanderman Smith ...
"On February 3, the county was divided into townships: Silver Creek; Prairie; Salt Spring; Sugar Creek.
"It was ordered by the court that application be made to the clerk of Chariton County Court, for copies of such records pertaining to the county of Randolph, as may be thought necessary ...
"The early records of the circuit court and recorder's office, especially the record of deeds in the latter office were destroyed by fire in 1882, at the time the court house was burned ...
"The first circuit court within and for the county of Randolph, was held at the residence of William Goggin in 1829. The Hon. Davig Todd, of Boone County, was the presiding judge; Robert Wilson was the clerk; Hancock Jackson, sheriff, and James Gordon, prosecuting attorney.
"The contract for building the first court-house was let on the 13th of June, 1831, and the building was completed some time in the fall of the next year. It was a brick structure, two stories high, built in a square form, one room below used as the courtroom and three above used as jury rooms. One of these small rooms was for a number of years used as a Masonic Hall, and it was there that the Masonic meeting in Huntsville was held ... This building cost $2,400, and when it was condemned and torn down in the winter of 1858 or the spring of 1859, the bricks were purchased by the members of the Christian Congregation in this place and did good service in their church building.
"The second court-house was completed in 1860 ... It was burned August 12, 1882. A new court-house was commenced in the fall of 1883 and finished in April, 1884 ... It was surmounted with a dome of symmetrical proportions, which was seen for many miles in almost every direction from Huntsville. The dome contained a town clock ..." ~ History of Randolph County, St. Louis, National Historical Society, 1884, pp. 92-93, 97, 113-114, 116-117, 122.