Osceola County was carved
from portions of Orange and Brevard Counties in 1887. The name honors the Seminole war
leader. The county seat is Kissimmee, for which no translation has been determined, and
which has been mispronounced by innumerable tourists in search of the Magic Kingdom. The first Osceola County Courthouses
were the residence of Kissimmee mayor J. H. Allen, who allowed its free use, followed by a
three-story wooden structure originally utilized as an opera house. One of the first
official acts of the new county's voters was to issue bonds for $30,000 to construct a
permanent facility. The Osceola County Courthouse, designed in the Romanesque Revival
style by architect F. C. Johnson, was built around 1889 by George H. Frost. It is the
oldest of Florida's courthouses still in active use. Because Osceola County was, and is,
cattle country, the courthouse grounds once had a pen for containment of wandering
animals.The Osceola County Courthouse was completed in 1890, three years after Osceola County was created from portions of Orange and Brevard Counties. The oldest courthouse in Florida in  continuous use, the Osceola County Courthouse is a
three-story red-brick building. Typical of Romanesque revival courthouses
constructed throughout the United States during the late 1800s, the building is one of
four remaining in Florida. The Romanesque architectural elements of the courthouse
include the tower above the entrance, the round arches on the portico and above the doors,
and the segmental arches above the windows. |
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Updated 10/17/03