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The Choctaw County Courthouse is located in the county seat of Butler, Alabama.
Choctaw County was formed from sections of Sumter and Washington County in 1847. The community of Barrytown in the southern part of the county had been the county seat of Washington County. There was a courthouse there and Barrytown was to temporarily serve as the county seat of Choctaw County until a permanent site could be chosen.
It was decided to locate the county seat as close to the geographical center of the county as possible. The citizens of Mt. Sterling began a campaign to have the county seat located there. Instead, a site 3 miles farther to the west called Hendricks Crossroads was chosen. The town and square for the court house was laid out, and later the town was renamed Butler.
The court house survived two fires in the late 1800's and many records were lost. Some records that were assumed lost or destroyed were recently discovered and some volunteers from The Choctaw County Genealogical Society gathered and reorganized them. The records will soon be available on microfilm.
The cornerstone, placed in the northeast corner of the original structure reads:
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There are three monuments on the courthouse square.
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The first is a statue of a confederate soldier located on the northeast corner of the square. The inscription below the statue reads:
IN HONOR OF OUR HEROES |
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The second is a stone marker located on the northwest corner of the square. The inscription on the marker reads:
IN MEMORY OF RUFFIN DRAGOONS CALVARY |
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The third is commonly referred to as "Military Memorial Walkway". The memorial was constructed in 1997, and consists of a sidewalk from the street to the courthouse entrance on the eastern side of the square. The walk is constructed of bricks with the name of a Choctaw County veteran inscribed on each. The monument also features the flagpole at it's center. There are two sections to the memorial, one for those who served in war as well as peacetime, and one dedicated to county citizens who died while in their country's service. The memorial is not all-inclusive of our county's veterans. Donations for construction of the walk were solicited, and individual bricks were inscribed with the name of the donor's choosing. The memorial is added to from time to time as names and donations are submitted. |
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