The Old County Courthouse (also known as the Plymouth Old County Courthouse or the Old Town House) is an historic
court house
A courthouse or court house is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English- ...
on
Leyden Street and Market Street in the Town Square of
Plymouth, Massachusetts. Built in 1749, the two-story wood-frame building is believed to be the oldest wooden courthouse in the United States; it stands on the site of the first courthouse built by
Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony (sometimes Plimouth) was, from 1620 to 1691, the first permanent English colony in New England and the second permanent English colony in North America, after the Jamestown Colony. It was first settled by the passengers on the ...
settlers, and may incorporate elements of a 1670 building. The site was originally the site of
Edward Winslow
Edward Winslow (18 October 15958 May 1655) was a Separatist and New England political leader who traveled on the ''Mayflower'' in 1620. He was one of several senior leaders on the ship and also later at Plymouth Colony. Both Edward Winslow and ...
's first house in Plymouth.
[Craig S. Chartier, "Of Plymouth Plantation: Predicting the Location of the Original Plymouth Village, Its Extent, and Its Houses," PARP May 2016, www.plymoutharch.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/leyden-st-houses.pdf]
It is five bays wide and three deep, with a center entry flanked by sidelight windows and pilasters, and topped by a gabled pediment. It was built by
Peter Oliver, and initially served as both a courthouse and as town offices. It was converted to solely municipal use in 1821, and had a myriad of municipal functions since then.
In the 1970s it was converted into a museum.
The building was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 1972.
It is now known as the 1749 Court House and Museum, and is open from June to September with exhibits of early Plymouth history.
Gallery
File:2015-07-16 022 Plymouth MA.jpg, Descriptive plaque on exterior of courthouse, 2015
File:2015-07-16 021 Plymouth MA.jpg, Herse on display in the old courthouse, 2015
File:2015-07-16 020 Plymouth MA.jpg, Courtroom on 2nd floor, 2015
See also
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Oldest courthouses in the United States
*
References
External links
1749 Court House and Museum
Government buildings completed in 1749
Courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
Museums in Plymouth, Massachusetts
History museums in Massachusetts
Law museums in the United States
County courthouses in Massachusetts
National Register of Historic Places in Plymouth County, Massachusetts
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