Shelby County Courthouse | |
 Western side | |
   | |
| Location | 301 E. Main Street, Shelbyville, Illinois |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°24′25″N88°47′27″W / 39.40694°N 88.79083°W |
| Built | 1881 |
| Architectural style | Second Empire |
| Part of | Shelbyville Historic District (ID76000729 [1] ) |
| Added to NRHP | December 22, 1976 |
The Shelby County Courthouse is a government building in Shelbyville, the county seat of Shelby County, Illinois, United States. Completed in 1881, it is the third courthouse in the county's history.
Shelby County was created by an 1827 law that provided for a temporary county seat at the home of one Barnet Bone. The same law provided for the creation of a commission to choose a location for a new county seat and directed that it be named "Shelbyville". [2] : 54 A location having been ascertained, the county commissioners began preparing to build a courthouse by the end of 1827. William Hall completed the building in 1828 and was paid $110, and further work was done in 1829 to weatherboard the exterior and improve the interior. This was a log building measuring 20 by 24 feet (6.1 m × 7.3 m) and two stories tall, [2] : 57 with ends rising to gables. Its main entrance sat in the side of the first floor, like that of an English barn, while the second floor was accessed by means of an exterior staircase on one end. [3]
In 1832, county officials paid $1,094 for the construction of a later courthouse. A two-story square measuring 40 feet (12 m) on each side, it contained a first-story courtroom with office space for county government on the second story. [2] : 57 A cupola was added in 1837, [2] : 58 built on a square base that sat at the joint of the four parts of the building's hip roof. Three windows pierced each side of the building on each story. [2] : Plate facing 56 This courthouse served Shelby County well for more than thirty years, but gradually it too became too small to house all of the county officials, and efforts to replace it began in 1864. [2] : 58
Periodically through the 1860s and 1870s, county officials tried to find money to erect a new courthouse, but all attempts proved abortive until 1879, when $70,000 was appropriated and a special tax levied on real and personal property countywide. The original plans called for it to measure 110 by 76 feet (34 m × 23 m), with county offices placed on the first floor and court-related rooms on the second. Among the interior features were gas lines, steam heat, and running water with toilets, together with ordinary features such as a burglar-proof strongroom. [2] : 58 Its walls are primarily brick with a stone foundation, pierced by pairs of windows and topped with a mansard roof atop a tower on each of the building's corners. Three pediments of various sizes top the front facades, with pilasters connecting them to the foundation. Fireproofing was a major goal during the construction process, and some structural elements were included with the goal of fire resistance, such as the dome (made of iron) and the roof (made of slate). At the center, above the dome, stands a tower that employs elements used elsewhere, including stonework, pilasters below pediments, and a mansard roof. Its overall appearance is that of the Second Empire style. This tower was modified in 1928 by the addition of a public clock that had been used in a school that sat on Main Street until the previous year. [3] Some of the more artistic elements included the choice of Bedford limestone for the pilasters and a pair of statues of Liberty and Justice. [2] : 59 Outside stands the county's Civil War memorial, which was placed in 1907. [4]
Before the current courthouse's completion, local officials hoped that it would be one of Illinois' foremost courthouses, [2] : 59 and an 1881 county history stated the following:
The citizens of Shelby county [sic] may well feel proud of this elegant and valuable structure. Alike is it creditable to the foresight and energy of the men who inaugurated its construction; and it will remain as a monument to their enterprise years after they have passed away. [2] : 59
The 1881 courthouse has continued to be used into the 21st century. [5] It is a key component of the Shelbyville Historic District, [4] which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. [1]
The Belmont County Courthouse is located at 101 West Main Street in St. Clairsville, Ohio, United States. It sits on the highest point in the St. Clairsville area and is thus visible from Interstate 70 and many other points in the Ohio Valley. It is a contributing property in the St. Clairsville Historic District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969.
Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park is a state park of Arizona in the United States. Located in Tombstone, the park preserves the original Cochise County courthouse. The two-story building, constructed in 1882 in the Victorian style, is laid out in the shape of a cross and once contained various county offices, including those of the sheriff, recorder, treasurer, and the Board of Supervisors as well as courtrooms and a jail. Inside, the courthouse contains a museum with numerous artifacts from the town's history while outside, a replica gallows has been constructed in the courtyard to mark the spot where seven men were hanged for various crimes. The park was one of the first to be designated as a state park and in 1959 was the first to open following the 1957 establishment of the Arizona State Parks Board.
The Allen County Courthouse is an historic courthouse building located at the corner of North Main Street & East North Street in Lima, Ohio, United States. In 1974, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The Cuyahoga County Courthouse stretches along Lakeside Avenue at the north end of the Cleveland Mall in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. The building was listed on the National Register along with the mall district in 1975. Other notable buildings of the Group Plan are the Howard M. Metzenbaum U.S. Courthouse designed by Arnold Brunner, the Cleveland Public Library, the Board of Education Building, Cleveland City Hall, and Public Auditorium.
The Fayette County Courthouse is a historic courthouse building located at 110 East Court Street in Washington Court House, Ohio. On July 2, 1973, it was added to the National Register.
The Darke County Courthouse, Sheriff's House and Jail are three historic buildings located at 504 South Broadway just south of West 4th Street in Greenville, Ohio. On December 12, 1976, the three buildings of the present courthouse complex were added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The Warsaw Courthouse Square Historic District is a historic district in Warsaw, Indiana that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. Its boundaries were increased in 1993.
The Defiance County Courthouse is located at 221 Clinton Street in Defiance, Ohio, United States.
The Lenawee County Courthouse is a county courthouse located at 309 North Main Street (M-52) in the city of Adrian in central Lenawee County, Michigan. It was designated as a Michigan Historic Site on November 14, 1974, and later added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 28, 1991. The Lenawee County Courthouse is located at the corner of M-52 and West Front Street. West Front Street also carries the M-52 signage as it turns to form the northern edge of the U.S. Route 223 business loop around the Downtown Adrian Commercial Historic District.
The Davis County Courthouse in Bloomfield, Iowa, United States was built in 1877. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Two years later it was listed as a contributing property in the Bloomfield Square historic district. The courthouse is the second building to house court functions and county administration.
The Shelby County Courthouse in Harlan, Iowa, United States, was built in 1892. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. In 1994 it was included as a contributing property in the Harlan Courthouse Square Commercial District. The courthouse is the third building the county has used for court functions and county administration.
The Chippewa County Courthouse is a government building located on Court Street in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. It is one of the oldest courthouses still in use in Michigan.
The Holmes County Courthouse is a historic government building in Millersburg, Ohio, United States. Built in the late nineteenth century, it has been designated a historic site because of its architectural importance.
The Covington County Courthouse and Jail is a historic courthouse in Andalusia, the seat of Covington County, Alabama. It was built from 1914 to 1916 along with a jail. Together, the buildings were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.
Goshen Historic District is a national historic district located at Goshen, Elkhart County, Indiana. The district encompasses 751 contributing buildings and 1 contributing site in the central business district and surrounding residential sections of Goshen. The town was developed between about 1840 and 1930, and includes notable examples of Italianate and Queen Anne style architecture. Located with in the district are the separately listed Elkhart County Courthouse and Goshen Carnegie Public Library. Other notable buildings include the Kindy Block (1881), Central Block (1882), Spohn Building (1909), Harper Block (1888), Noble Building, Jefferson Theater (1907), General Baptist Church (1859), First Methodist Church (1874), and St. James Episcopal Church (1862).
The Pope County Courthouse is a government building in Golconda, the county seat of Pope County, Illinois, United States. The county's third courthouse, it has remained in operation since the early 1870s, making it one of Illinois' oldest buildings currently still used as a courthouse.
The Perry County Courthouse is a government building in central Pinckneyville, the county seat of Perry County, Illinois, United States. Built in 1850, it is the third courthouse in the county's history, and it has been twice expanded to serve the county's growing needs.
The Brown County Courthouse is a government building in Mount Sterling, the county seat of Brown County, Illinois, United States. Completed in 1868 and rebuilt around 1940, it is the second courthouse in the county's history.
The Macon County Courthouse is a government building in Decatur, the county seat of Macon County, Illinois, United States. Completed in 1940, it is the fourth courthouse in the county's history.
The Marion County Courthouse is a government building in Salem, the county seat of Marion County, Illinois, United States. Built in 1910, it is the fourth courthouse in the county's history.