Covington County Courthouse – Historic Andalusia Art

Description

There’s a quality to beautiful old courthouses like the Covington County Courthouse and many more built in the late 19th and early 20th century. The ones of this era seem to be of the “built to last” persuasion. Like many other genealogists out there, I find that my family records always seemed to the ones lost to the courthouse that burned in X year. Or perhaps these grand buildings simply highlight an era of prosperity and civic pride?

Certainly the historic Covington County Courthouse completed in 1916 exhibits an era of prosperity. The county had built a brick courthouse in the center of Courthouse Square in 1896. But the county’s population surged afterward as the railroad arrived in Andalusia, Alabama. With a rising star, the county built a new courthouse in the Beaux Arts style that would last for generations of Covington County citizens to come. The old Covington County courthouse in the middle of the square has long since been demolished, but its successor has stood for a century now.

There have been additions to the rear but the front facade shown in this Andalusia print remains relatively unchanged despite the passing years. It’s a building that its architect, Frank Lockwood, would still recognize today. If you’re even an armchair student of architecture, that name may seem familiar to you. Frank Lockwood was part of a family of architects of that era who designed a variety of now-heritage architecture across the southeast. The Covington County Courthouse and other Lockwood buildings are on the US National Register of Historic Places.

For me, this work was about family, too. My family history runs deep in Covington County. My maternal grandparents moved to Andalusia in the 1930’s, but my paternal side has roots in rural Covington County that run into the mid to late 19th century. Although I didn’t grow up in Andalusia, that beautiful old courthouse are among my early memories in life and inexorably tied to visiting family and old family friends.

I’d love if you took a second to share what brought you here. Do you simply love heritage architecture? Or do you likewise have ties to Covington County? Perhaps you are looking for a memento for yourself or a gift for someone you love? If you have any thoughts you’d like to share or comments, I would love to hear them!