{"nrhp_refnum":"74001728","name":"Adams County Courthouse","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Baltimore and W. Middle Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Gettysburg","county":"Adams County","state":"PA","lat":39.82953585800004,"lon":-77.23221137899998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1974-10-01","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Military","Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story red brick courthouse at Baltimore and West Middle Streets in Gettysburg, Adams County, Pennsylvania, contracted in 1858 and ready for occupancy in 1859. It was designed by Philadelphia architect S.D. Button and built by John R. Turner of Carlisle.","why_significant":"The building served as the Adams County Courthouse for 115 years (1859-1974) and was a focal point of county life. During the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg it was used as a command post and hospital by both Union and Confederate troops. It is also cited as a fine example of Victorian architecture, blending Italianate style with Classical elements.","narrative":"Adams County Courthouse, at Baltimore and West Middle Streets in Gettysburg, is a red brick building of two stories, three bays wide and six bays deep. Contracted in 1858 and ready for use in 1859, it was designed by Philadelphia architect S.D. Button and built by John R. Turner of Carlisle. Rear wings were added in 1895. Its style is basically Italianate with Classical elements, including a center entrance framed by coupled brick pilasters, a bracketed triangular pediment, and a flat roof with broad bracketed eaves. A clock tower rises about seventy feet above ground level. The building was originally painted gray, but the paint has since been removed. It served as the county courthouse for 115 years. During the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863 it functioned as a command post and hospital for both Union and Confederate troops, and casualties remained there briefly afterward. Its tower appears in many panorama photographs of the town.","period_of_significance":"1858-1859","architect_builder":"S.D. Button, architect (Philadelphia); John R. Turner of Carlisle, builder","architectural_style":"Italianate with Classical elements (Victorian)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as occupied and in government use; condition marked altered, with rear wings added in 1895 and brickwork recently repointed.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:59:02.474274-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/74001728.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001728/dec60af14f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001728/dec60af14f-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Adams_PA_Courthouse_2.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Adams_PA_Courthouse_2.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"66000642","name":"Gettysburg National Military Park","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/pennsylvania/gettysburg-national-military-park-66000642/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71995655","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adams_County_Courthouse_(Pennsylvania)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4680325"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/adams-county/adams-county-courthouse-74001728/"}