Henry County Courthouse - Paris, TN - Courthouses on Waymarking.com

This stately Romanesque courthouse is the fourth to serve in this capacity and the third to occupy the current location. The cornerstone was laid in 1896 and the courthouse was first occupied on October 2 of that year. The stone is worn but still legible.

The present site of Paris was selected by five commissioners appointed to the task of choosing a county seat at the December 1822 session of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions of Henry County. Their selection may have been influenced by the willingness of property owners to donate land for the courthouse. The name "Paris" was selected to honor the Marquis de Lafayette, a French hero of the American Revolutionary War. Paris was incorporated on September 30, 1823, making it the first town incorporated in West Tennessee. For the next fifty years the primary industry here was agriculture, primarily cotton - a crop that required a large workforce of slaves. During the Civil War Paris, initially Confederate, was taken by Union forces on March 11, 1862 in a battle that resulted in few casualties but considerable destruction of property within the town. Desegregation of schools and businesses in the 1960s was relatively peaceful. The current population is about ten thousand.

Year Built: 1896 Current Use of Building: County Courthouse Level of Courts: County Architect: Reuben Harrison Hunt Dates this building was used to house judicial proceedings: 1896 - Present Physical Address: 101 E Washington St # 201, Paris, TN 38242 Hours: Government Hours (typically 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM) Related Website: [Web Link]

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