Florida Historical Markers Programs - Marker Detail

Description: In 1888, Henry A. DeLand donated land for the construction of a wooden courthouse after the city of DeLand became the new seat for Volusia County. Starting in 1927, construction began on a new courthouse designed in the Neoclassical style. Completed in 1929 for a final cost of $500,000, the new courthouse was described as “one of the most beautiful county administration buildings in the South.” It featured fluted Corinthian columns, vaulted arches, marble staircases, a distinctive copper clad dome, and an interior cupola featuring a stained glass dome. Additionally, it had elaborate twin facades containing ornate balustrades and terra cotta entablature. The dedication ceremony on November 18, 1929, was attended by more than 3,000 locals who enjoyed a pork barbecue, concerts from the Stetson Symphony Orchestra and the DeLand Concert Band, and circus performers provided by the Johnny J. Jones Show. The first woman to graduate from Stetson College of Law and to be registered with the Florida State Supreme Court, Mary Stewart Howarth-Hewitt, practiced law here. In 1987, the Volusia County Courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a part of the Downtown DeLand Historic District.