Lucas County Courthouse
The first courthouse of Lucas
County was built in Chariton of solid oak logs in 1850. The one and one-half
story building was financed out of the Chariton town lot fund and cost $374.
The second courthouse was
50 feet square and cost between $15,000 and $20,000. The courthouse's
foundation was made of logs and made the judge nervous. Luckily, the building
did not collapse.
A new courthouse was
built in 1885. The stone courthouse appears the same today as it did over a
century ago. The only major alteration has been the removal of a pointed spire
and minor caps which topped the tower.
