Welcome to the Barbour County Courthouse in Phillipi, West Virginia. They call this architectural style Richardsonian Romanesque. This was a new one for me so I had to look it up. It uses 11th and 12th century southern French, Spanish and Italian Romanesque characteristics.

It was built at the turn of the twentieth century and prominently occupies the center of town. This courthouse looks heavy and imposing, like a fortress, and it is impressive. The brownstone was quarried near Hummelstown, Pennsylvania and was shipped here by railroad. I can't fathom how much effort was involved to do this in 1903.

My trips to Phillipi have been limited to weekends so I haven't been inside but I'm kind of dying to do that. They performed a restoration project back in 1995 and evidently did a nice job repairing the stained glass interior dome.

Phillipi is a neat town in a beautiful area and it's home to my favorite covered bridge in the world. Read about that one here.

If you're ever in the vicinity, check out Phillipi and take the scenic drive down to quaint Thomas and scenic Blackwater Falls. It's worth the trip!