This is one of only a few surviving antebellum Greek Revival courthouse buildings in the Alabama Black Belt. It is arguably the most historic public building in Marengo County. Constructed around 1848 – 1850, this Greek Revival courthouse was the third building to serve as the courthouse for Marengo County, AL, out of a total of six. This building was built to replace a previous courthouse that was destroyed by fire in 1848. This building served as the county courthouse for Marengo County for over 50 years, with a brief interruption following the Civil War Reconstruction era when Federal Troops moved the county seat to Demopolis for a brief period. The old courthouse building was replaced in 1903 with a new building. Since then, this old building has been used for several purposes including Linden Public School, Linden Baptist Church, American Legion Hall and Youth Center.
The courthouse is perhaps most famous for an event that occurred on October 9, 1890. Reuben “Rube” Burrow, a nationally notorious train robber and outlaw, was killed in the street in front of the building. Burrow had been captured in nearby Myrtlewood and brought to the Linden jail which at that time was located beside this courthouse building. During an escape attempt involving a shootout with merchant and Deputy Sheriff Jeff “Dixie” Carter, Burrow was fatally shot. The event drew national attention and remains a central part of the building’s historical legacy.
The Old Marengo County Courthouse was photographed and recorded in the Historical American Building Survey (HABS) in 1935. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on January 18, 1974.
This building is located beside Highway 28 on the north side of Linden, AL at the intersection of Highway 28 and N Mobile Street (Google Maps – 32.312014, -87.800779).
Sources: 1) NRHP “Old Courthouse” Nomination Form; 2) LindenAlabama.net; 3) Historical Marker (located in front of the courthouse building).
Included are B&W photographs obtained from the US Library of Congress that were taken for HABS on June 13, 1935, by Alex Bush. Also included is a picture that was taken by W.W. Walker of Linden shortly after Rube Burrow’s death in October 1890. This photograph was widely distributed appearing in newspapers and on postcards throughout the South.
For details about the life of the Alabama outlaw, “Rube” Burrow. go to EncyclopediaOfAlabama.org.