OLD HENDRY COUNTY COURTHOUSE

By  Mike Miller, November 3, 2025

The Old Hendry County Courthouse in LaBelle, Florida is at the corner of Bridge Street (SR29) and Hickpochee Avenue (SR80).

The building, completed in 1927, was designed by architect Edward Columbus Hosford in the Mediterranean Revival and Mission Revival styles.

It joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. The site serves as the current Hendry County Courthouse. County offices operate inside.

The structure holds records and hosts proceedings. A 70-foot tower marks the skyline.

Old Hendry County Courthouse

Hendry County formed in 1923 from Lee County. Leaders needed a courthouse. Commissioners approved architect Hosford's plans in 1925. Construction began in 1926 and the building opened in 1927.

A dark event marked its early days. On June 3, 1926, a mob lynched Henry Patterson near the site in broad daylight.

Patterson was a Black man who worked as a laborer. Locals accused him without any proof, and it was later learned the accusation was without merit.

Some saw the act as wrong, and when lightning and other damage befell the courthouse, they called it a curse. Lightning struck repeatedly for three years, and damage fell on the courtroom roof in 1929. 

The 1,000-pound bell stopped tolling, so officials removed the clock hands and stored parts in the basement. The bell went to the First Baptist Church.

Floods from the Caloosahatchee River hit six times by 1960. Hurricanes caused more damage, rust ate the foundations and rebar corroded.

In 2017 grants funded repairs, and workers sealed beams and repainted bricks. The courthouse is still in use today despite the curse.

The courthouse is at 141 East Hickpochee Avenue, LaBelle FL 33935, Tel: 863-675-5217.

It’s a working courthouse, so keep that in mind when visiting. Business hours apply, and it’s closed weekends and holidays. Park on nearby streets and walk the block to view the tower.

Combine your visit with a stroll in the LaBelle Historic District or visit the nearby LaBelle Heritage Museum for more local stories. Ask inside for access to historic rooms.

• Hosford designed over 20 Florida courthouses.
  
  
• The Seth Thomas clock cost $3,000 in 1926.
  
  
• Foundations use 37 concrete beams, each 55 feet long.
  
  
• The tower once lost time often and needed weekly winding.
  
  
• A young Ray C. Hull Sr. climbed the stairs to wind it due to his slim frame.
  
  
• Restoration added epoxy seals to fight flood damage.
  
  
• The building withstood four hurricanes by 1960.

OLD HENDRY COUNTY COURTHOUSE WEBSITE

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