The Old Monroe County Courthouse, completed in 1904, was designed by the prominent Southern architect Andrew Bryan. The courthouse gained national fame when Monroeville’s own, Harper Lee, in 1960 published the Pulitzer prize-winning novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. In her book To Kill a Mockingbird, the fictional town of Maycomb is modeled on Monroeville in the 1930s. The Oscar-winning film, To Kill A Mockingbird, was adapted from Harper Lee’s novel. Gregory Peck spent time at Monroeville preparing for his role in the movie. The courtroom in the Old Courthouse in Monroeville was used as the model for the one in the trial scene in the To Kill a Mockingbird movie.
The Old Courthouse has been restored and today it is a museum that houses three permanent exhibits: Old Courthouse: Heart of the Community, Truman Capote: A Childhood in Monroeville, and Harper Lee: In Her Own Words. Each April and May, the courtroom is the setting for the second act of the Mockingbird Players’ acclaimed production of To Kill a Mockingbird. Fans of the classic novel come to the Old Courthouse from all over the world because it is the most tangible link to the book’s fictional Maycomb. Visitors are free to move throughout the courtroom, including the balcony, witness chair, judge’s bench, and tables used by the prosecutor and defense attorney.
On April 26, 1973, the Old Monroe County County Courthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. This historic building is located on the courthouse square at downtown Monroeville ( Old Courthouse Museum – Google Maps).
For additional details, go to MonroeCountyMuseum.org
The pictures that are provided show some of the features of the museum.