Frequently, here at the Barry County Museum we are asked the question “When did the Courthouse burn?”
The simple answer to this question is that the Barry County Courthouse never burned down, but rather the old courthouse was torn down to make way for the new courthouse at the same location in 1913, and this same building remains to this day. However, no matter how many times we repeat this information, many people still enter the Barry County Museum each year under the assumption that at some point in history the Barry County Courthouse must have burnt.
One event that adds to the misconception was the devastating fire 130 years ago on April 18, 1893, that destroyed most of the business district in Cassville, including both newspaper offices. The fire started in the rear of Townsend & McCarter’s grocery and restaurant. When the fire spread to the nearby Hudson & Hessee hardware store, a supply of explosive power ignited. The resulting explosion spread embers onto the rooftops of neighboring businesses. Although most of the buildings along Main Street were consumed by the flames, the Barry County Courthouse was spared.
Another event that perpetuates the notion of the courthouse burning was a records fire in the circuit clerk’s office on May 16, 1872. The fire destroyed many early court records and deeds and was probably intentionally set, as according to Goodspeed’s 1888 history of the county, “Many of the books and documents were carried to the fireplace and there burned.”
A Kansas City newspaper in 1872 reported that entrance into the courthouse was made between the hours of 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. by boring a hole in the window sash to unlatch it. A can of coal oil was then emptied on the county records piled in the fireplace, committing “one of the most daring and outrageous pieces of incendiarism that has ever come under our notice.”
So, when individuals are trying to locate these missing records and are told that the documents burned, they assume the whole building must have burned to the ground, rather than just the records.
This belief is understandable considering that many courthouses in the United States were burned during the Civil War, so it seems reasonable that the Barry County Courthouse would have been one of the causalities of the war. A January article about Missouri courthouses destroyed during the Civil War on the fourstateshomepage.com incorrectly listed the Barry County Courthouse as burning. This information will inevitably be cited in the future as proof that the courthouse burned.
In fact, many buildings in Cassville and around the square were set ablaze by federal troops, without orders, during the Civil War in the time period following the battle of Pea Ridge. But again, the Barry County Courthouse was spared from destruction. Later, in 1914 the county was finally reimbursed by the Federal government for funds spent repairing the old courthouse after the Union occupation of the structure.
The appearance of the courthouse also changed in 1884 when a third story was added to the original 1850s structure to be used as a county jail. On a side note, the original jail cells that previously occupied the third floor of the courthouse are now housed on the Barry County Museum campus. A Additionally, the brick exterior of the courthouse was also plastered over. The combination of a third story and non-brick appearance would be viewed by the casual observer as a completely different building. However, this was the same building, and the courthouse remained in this form until the new building was erected in 1913. With fireproofing in mind, the 1913 building was constructed of reinforced concrete with stone facing, locally quarried.
The Barry County Courthouse has survived many close calls and near misses. In January 1925, Cassville nightwatchman Guy Lathim discovered a coal bin on fire in the basement of the courthouse. The fire was quickly extinguished, and no damage was done. On Dec. 12, 1943, the First Baptist Church southwest of the courthouse burned. On June 11, 1987, north of the courthouse, Taggart’s Medicine Shop, formerly Wooten Drug, and Tomblin’s Jewelry building, formerly the First National Bank location, were destroyed by fire. And most recently the Hall Theater building, west of the courthouse, burned last year in a fire on March 1, 2022. Despite a history of destruction surrounding the Barry County Courthouse, the symbolic center of justice remains in the heart of Cassville unburnt!
Jeremiah Buntin is a historian at the Barry County Museum. He may be reached at jbuntin@barrycomuseum. org.
