Location Information
(for the DeSoto County Courthouse)
Name:DeSoto County Courthouse
Address:2535 Hwy 51, South
City/County:Hernando, DeSoto County
Architectural Information
Construction Date:1940-1941
Architectural Styles(s):Neoclassical, Colonial Revival
No. of Stories:2
Registration Information
NR District Name:Hernando Courthouse Square (1998)
    NR Status:Contributing
    Element No.:8
Mississippi Landmark Information
Designated:10-11-1985
Recorded:12-12-1985
Book/Vol. No.:V. 183, p. 299
Local Designation Information
Local District Name:Hernando Historic District
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Context/Comments
The DeSoto County Courthouse is a Neo-classical brick building with sprawling floor plan. The original part of the building was built in 1940-41 with additions in 1983 and 1985. On the walls of the second floor balcony are murals depicting the explorations of Hernando DeSoto. These murals were painted in 1903 by Newton Alonzo Wells and were originally in the Old Gayoso Hotel in Memphis.

This building is included in "Must See Mississippi" (2007) (pp.139-141) and "Buildings of Mississippi" (2020) (p.143, NC7).
Brief Description
The original plan was originally a T-shape with the additional wings added on the northwest and southwest comers. The courthouse has a concrete base. The center of the east facade consists of six sandstone columns supporting a pediment with oversized dentils and an elliptical window. The cupola with multi-paned windows sits at the apex of the roof of the central portion of the building. The entry is a double light-and-panel-door. The interior space of the building radiates from a central rotunda, with the cupola above.