The Old County Courthouse (also known as the Plymouth Old County Courthouse or the Old Town House) is an historic court house on Leyden Street and Market Street in the Town Square of

Plymouth, Massachusetts Plymouth ( ; historically also spelled as Plimouth and Plimoth) is a town in and the county seat of Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. Located in Greater Boston, the town holds a place of great prominence in American history, folklor ...

. 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 spelled Plimouth) was the first permanent English colony in New England from 1620 and the third permanent English colony in America, after Newfoundland and the Jamestown Colony. It was settled by the passengers on t ...

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 English Separatist, 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 ...

'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 Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

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

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 {{Massachusetts-museum-stub

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See also

References

External links