Old McDonald County Courthouse
Old McDonald County Courthouse is a historic building at 400 N. Main Street in Pineville, Missouri. Built between 1869 and 1871, it was designed by architect Z. P. Cogswell in the American Foursquare style. It served as the McDonald County courthouse from 1871 until 1978, when a new courthouse was built two blocks north.
The courthouse sits in Pineville’s town square and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places since May 1, 2012. It is one of three county sites on the Register, along with the Powell Bridge.
A brief history:
- After McDonald County formed in 1849, Pineville and Rutledge vied to be the county seat.
- The area had two courthouses for a while; a Civil War-era bushwacker raid in 1863 burned the records.
- The current brick courthouse opened in 1871, using some bricks from the old building.
- A 1905 addition added vaults and expanded the building.
- In 1943 another south addition gave more office space and the exterior was covered with stucco.
- In 1977-78, the county built a new off-site courthouse and saved the old one from demolition.
From 1979 onward, the old courthouse housed county offices and storage. The McDonald County Historical Society began restoration in 2010, turning the building into a museum. The ground floor opened to the public in 2013, and the upstairs courtroom was finished by 2015.
Today the Old McDonald County Courthouse is a museum run by the McDonald County Historical Society. It highlights local history, including the 1939 Jesse James film shot in Pineville, education, music (Albert E. Brumley), military service, a drug store exhibit, and a restored courtroom and prosecutor’s office. The museum typically welcomes visitors on Fridays and Saturdays during the summer.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 15:05 (CET).