Mercer County Courthouse - Princeton, WV
N 37° 21.933 W 081° 06.200
17S E 490850 N 4135430
The Mercer County Courthouse, the fifth on this site, was completed in 1930 in the Moderne, Art Deco style. It was listed on the NRHP in 1980.
Waymark Code: WM1C3PW
Location: West Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 05/28/2025
Views: 0
"The Mercer County Courthouse in Princeton, West Virginia was built in 1930–31 in the Art Moderne style. Designed by Alex B. Mahood, it is the most significant example of the style in southern West Virginia. Friezes above the front and rear doors were designed by Mrs. S.L. Mahood, the mother of the architect.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
The Mercer County Courthouse sits in a traffic circle bordered by Main Street on the north side, Scott Street on the west side, Princeton Avenue on the south side, and Alvis Street on the east side.
Although designed and built with entrances on all four sides, due to the security issues of today, the public can only enter through the north door."-
Mercer County Courthouse
The
NRHP Nomination Form describes: "Flanking
the carved surround at both the north and south entrances is a richly carved frieze representing phases in the historical development of the county. Above the colonnade in a broad flat
entablature carved with six medallions is centered a magnificent round shield'adorned with
symbols of justice and flanked by Roman fasces. The date, 1930, is carved beneath in Roman
numerals."
A detailed description of the frieze art is available from the
Smithsonian Listing:"Two relief panels depicting a timeline of West Virginia history, from early settlement to the 1930's. The scenes overlap one another and are arranged in chronological order from left to right. Starting from the left, the relief depicts: a bear with two Native Americans; a hunting scene with two men in period clothing and a deer with antlers; a pioneer scene with a woman standing in front of a covered wagon; a construction scene with a man in the foreground kneeling and picking up a log to add to a partially constructed log building; two Native Americans (one holding a long-handled weapon above his head, the other running between two horses); a barefoot farmer and his plow; cattle and sheep representing the livestock trade in West Virginia; an underground coal mining scene with three miners; a man dressed in overalls and cap (standing in front of a train wheel); three stone masons; a period automobile; and the head of a propeller plane, with aviator standing in front."