The St. Stephens Courthouse, listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 as the Washington County Courthouse and also known as the St. Stephens Masonic Lodge, is a historic former courthouse

Courthouse

A courthouse is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English speaking countries, buildings which house courts of law are simply...

 building in St. Stephens, Alabama

St. Stephens, Alabama

St. Stephens is an unincorporated census-designated place in Washington County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 495. Located near the Tombigbee River in the southwestern part of the state, it is composed of two distinct sites: Old St. Stephens and New St. Stephens....

. The Alabama Legislature

Alabama Legislature

The Alabama Legislature is the legislative branch of the state government of Alabama. It is a bicameral body composed of the Alabama House of Representatives, with 105 members, and the Alabama Senate, with 35 members...

 authorized construction of the building in 1853 to serve as headquarters for the government of Washington County

Washington County, Alabama

Washington County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. The county was named in honor of George Washington, first President of the United States of America. As of 2010, the population was 17,581. Its county seat is Chatom. Washington County is a dry county.-History:The area was long inhabited...

. The building was completed in 1854 and served as the county courthouse until 1907, when the county seat

County seat

A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 was moved to Chatom

Chatom, Alabama

Chatom is a town in Washington County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 1,193. The city is the county seat of Washington County.-Geography:Chatom is located at .According to the U.S...

. It served a variety of purposes after that, until being restored in 2000 by the St. Stephens Historical Commission for use as a visitor center

Visitor center

A visitor center or centre , visitor information center, tourist information center, is a physical location that provides tourist information to the visitors who tour the place or area locally...

 and local history museum

Museum

A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...

.