{"nrhp_refnum":"73001515","name":"Muskingum County Courthouse And Jail","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"4th and Main Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Zanesville","county":"Muskingum County","state":"OH","lat":39.940576597000074,"lon":-82.00703663799999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-07-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three and one-half story Second Empire courthouse of smooth-dressed stone at Fourth and Main Streets in Zanesville, Ohio, built 1874-1877, together with a brick Second Empire jail of about 1870 beside it.","why_significant":"The nomination presents the courthouse and jail as excellent examples of their type, notable for Second Empire architecture, including a patterned slate mansard roof and a clock tower. The courthouse was designed by architect H. E. Myer and built by contractor T. B. Townsend for $222,060. It replaced an earlier courthouse that began life as a statehouse during Zanesville's brief period as Ohio's capital.","narrative":"Rising above Fourth and Main Streets in Zanesville, the Muskingum County Courthouse is a three and one-half story stone building put up between 1874 and 1877 in the Second Empire style. It measures roughly one hundred feet square and features a multicolored, patterned slate mansard roof, short corner towers, Corinthian-capped pilasters, and a two-stage clock tower over the west entrance. Inside, mosaic tile floors, heavy hardwood woodwork, and a vaulted first-floor ceiling survive. Architect H. E. Myer designed it and T. B. Townsend served as major contractor, at a cost of $222,060. It replaced an earlier courthouse that had been built as a statehouse when Zanesville served as Ohio's temporary capital. A brick jail of about 1870, also Second Empire and apparently converted from a house, stood to the east. The jail was demolished in January 1974, while the county kept the courthouse, which remains a prominent example of its architectural type.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (courthouse built 1874-1877)","architect_builder":"H. E. Myer (architect); T. B. Townsend (major contractor)","architectural_style":"Second Empire","criteria":[],"status_note":"The courthouse was described as in excellent condition and in government use. A 1974 letter states the jail alone was demolished in January 1974 and the county is preserving the courthouse.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:09.074887-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/73001515.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001515/3ae838b0a8-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001515/3ae838b0a8-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Tristan Blatt","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Muskingum_County_Courthouse_%26_Jail.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Tristan Blatt</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Muskingum_County_Courthouse_%26_Jail.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"07000025","name":"Muskingum River Navigation Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/ohio/muskingum-river-navigation-historic-district-07000025/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71990681","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muskingum_County_Courthouse","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6942793"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/muskingum-county/muskingum-county-courthouse-and-jail-73001515/"}