The First Court house of Carroll County was a log building about twenty feet square, two stories high. The purchase of the site and the disposition of lots in the town of Carrollton was entrusted to three commissioners, Henry Keys, John S. Blair and Barnett Cheatham, presumably appointed by the county court, and given charge over all matters pertaining to the erection of county buildings. Owing to the destruction of the county records, there is no certain information as to the time when this was done; but it is known that the court house was intended to serve a temporary purpose only, and was built south of the center of the public square in Carrollton, in order not to interfere with the erection of its successor. There was a substantial stone chimney at the east end, built after the completion of the remainder of the building. There were two entrances to the lower floor, on the north and south sides, respectively. This floor was provided with benches, and was occupied during the sessions of the court. There was an inside stairway to the upper floor, which does not appear to have been used for any particular purpose. The roof was made of heavy hoop sawed boards. The chimney was built in 1837, and the building proper the year previous, probably. The office of the clerk was usually in one of the stores at Carrollton, in which he officiated in a similar capacity.

The Second Court house was built in 1844-45, at a cost of $3,000. It was a brick building about 30×40 feet in dimensions, two stories high, and stood in the center of the square at Carrollton. The lower floor was entered by doors on the north and south, and was used as a court room. The upper floor was reached by an interior stairway; it was partitioned into three rooms, one of which, at the southwest corner, was used as the clerk's office, and the two others as jury rooms. The stairway was at the west end. The contractors for the erection of this building were Louis Rains and William Young; the former built the walls, the latter had charge of the wood work. This building was destroyed by fire in the winter of 1859-60. It was supposed to have been the work of an incendiary, but no positive proof of this has yet been presented. There appears to have been but little necessity for a court house during the Civil War.

Third and Fourth Court houses: Upon the close of hostilities in 1865, and the return of the soldiers to their homes, one of the first considerations that engaged their attention was the provision of what was essential to the administration of justice. A log building, closely resembling it first predecessor, was built in the public square, to the southeast of the center, and was one of the first houses built in Carrollton after the war. It was one story high, without a chimney, and did not remain long enough to receive that necessary addition. It was destroyed by fire in 1866 or the following year, and with it such of the county records as had escaped the previous similar catastrophe. They had been removed by S. W. Peel, the clerk, to a vault in the Carrollton Cemetery, and there preserved during the war. The loss of these records is most unfortunate and deplorable.

A frame store building was purchased from Crump and Berry, removed to the center of the square and, with trifling alterations, transformed into a temple of justice. June term, 1870, James Stanphill, commissioner of public buildings, was directed to purchase six chairs and have seats sufficient to accommodate jurymen before August 1^st, following. May 1^st, 1871, Lot No. 2 in Block No. 13, purchased of Crump and Berry, was sold by the sheriff, J. J. Grim, to W. W. Davis for $102.

The erection of Boone County in 1869 placed the major portion of Carroll County a considerable distance from Carrollton, and the removal of the county seat to a more central location was at once agitated. The claims of Berryville for metropolitan honors were energetically pressed, and an election was held November 1^st, 1869, upon the proposition to remove the county seat thither. The result cannot be ascertained; but at September term, 1869, a petition was presented to the court alleging that the election was null and void, a portion of the county having been ignored and refused recognition by the court. A new election was forthwith ordered for November 13sup>th, 1871. At December term, 1871, of the county court, the court was petitioned by certain citizens of Carrollton 'to declare the proposition for removal of the county seat to Berryville,' submitted to the electors November 13^th, 1871, 'a failure, and to put said question at rest, for a time at least,' but on the following day the court refused to grant this request, upon which the question was appealed to the circuit court, with results favorable to the petitioners. What action the county court proposed to take in the matter is expressed in the following extract from the minutes:

The court took into consideration the returns of the election held November 13^th, 1871; and it appearing that a majority of the qualified voters favored the change. the court appointed John S. O'Neal, George J. Crump and Dr. Isaac Plumlee commissioners to select a site at Berryville.

They were directed to meet at that place on Monday, January 29^th, 1872.

January 5^th, 1875. upon petition of more than one half of the voters of the county for the removal of the county seat from Carrollton to Berryville. An election was ordered for February 22^ned, 1875. May 5^th, 1875. the court instructed the clerk to notify all the justices of the peace in the county to sit with and assist the county judges in deciding upon the matter, on the second Monday in May, 1875. May 10^th, 1875, the day appointed, the election returns were laid before the court. There were 557 votes for removal, and 529 against, being a majority of twenty-eight in favor of removal out of a total vote of 1,086. E. J. Black. J. S. O'Neal and Isaac Plumlee were appointed commissioners 'to aid the court in carrying into effect the will of said majority, in purchasing a site for the buildings at Berryville.' June 22^nd, 1875, the commissioners reported having purchased, for $100, a lot in Berryville, from Blackburn H. Berry, and also received from him without consideration the public square in Berryville. July 6^th, 1875, they reported that a suitable building had been secured, by purchase, for the court-house, and rooms for the county officers by rental; upon which the court directed the sheriff to remove the records. seals, archives, fixtures, etc., which was done July 17^th, 1875. The property of the county at Carrollton was sold by J. W. Freeman, commissioner, January 15^th, 1876. Len Nunnally bought the public square for $10; John G. Crump, the old court-house, for $100; James P. Fancher, a table, for $2.50: Lots Nos. 7 and 8, in Block 9, were sold for $62.

The Present (1888) Court house, a substantial brick structure, was erected in 1880. R. H. Jones was appointed commissioner October 15^th, 1880, and instructed to prepare plans and specifications. December 6^th, 1880, he awarded the contract for the erection of the building to J. P. Fancher, his bid of $8,997.50 being the lowest from any responsible person. The contract, and bond in double that amount, were approved by the court. The building is forty-six feet wide and fifty-six feet long, outside dimensions. A hall ten feet wide extends through the building in the direction of its greatest length. On one side there are three rooms, one of which is occupied as an office by the sheriff; on the opposite side there is one room, 28×15½ feet, the clerk's office, connecting with which is the vault, 10×15½ feet. A stairway ascends to the upper story from the front end of the building. This floor comprises the court hall, forty-four feet wide, and two jury rooms. The roof is flat. This building was first occupied in the autumn of 1881. The old court house was sold by R. H. Jones to H. A. Pearce for $100, in county scrip, June 30^th, 1881, and Dr. W. P. George's store building was occupied for county offices, and during the session of the courts, until the completion of the new building.