During the lockdown associated with the COVID epidemic starting in 2020, Andrew Nogal and I embarked on a task of visiting the courthouses in each of the 102 counties of Illinois. We didn't have a particular mission in mind except that we could do this with relatively little contact with the general pubic. We drove by car and mostly camped in several of Illinois' many lovely state parks.
Unexpectedly, this plan resulted in one of the most satisfying projects I've undertaken. It took us less than a year to complete the set. Both Andy and I are born and bred men of Illinois. But it was remarkable to learn about places in our state that neither of us had known of even after living many years in the northern and southern parts, respectively, of the Land of Lincoln.
I have been pondering how to record the results of this project, and still am not sure what is the best vehicle for recording and representing what we discovered. As a first step, much delayed, I thought I would do a quick summary and rating of the courthouses we found.
The buildings are designed in such a variety of styles that it is really difficult to talk about them as a whole. So I'm taking an approach of grouping them according to architectural style (very loosely) and providing some commentary and reflection on the buildings and the communities in which they exist. It should be noted that we only viewed the buildings from the exterior; due to the pandemic, the vast majority of the facilities were closed to the public.
Starting out modestly, I will start with what is arguably the least interesting, or at the very least, least memorable, buildings: those built in the Neo-Classical "government" style that was very prominent in the design of government buildings in the beginning of the Twentieth Century. Don't take my architectural categorization too seriously...there are a few others that maybe really ought to be included here (e.g., Grundy County) but they will be included elsewhere in some more interesting category.
Rita B. Garman Vermilion County Courthouse
Danville, Illinois
Visited: January 4, 2021
Erected: 1914
Architect: Charles Lewis and Leonard Stub
One of only two L-shaped courthouses in Illinois, the Vermilion County Courthouse commands a welcoming embrace on a prominent intersection in downtown Danville. The focus provided by this interesting facade is primarily responsible for placing this building at the top of this architectural category.
Danville is a one-time thriving city from which much of its manufacturing foundation has disappeared (a story far too common among our county seats). The main business district of Danville stretches to the north straight up Vermilion St, with (again an often repeated pattern) of mixed open storefronts, a hodge-lodge of local businesses, a vintage library (in this case a lovely Carnegie building now housing a history museum), and a grand one-time movie theater. With this L-shape, one would expect the building to face a central square with this aspect repeated. I would bet that sometime that was the case, but unfortunately in some burst of civic renewal in the 70s or 80s, an undistinguished strip mall was built across the street, leaving the courthouse feeling a little abandoned in its placement.
The current building has an interesting creation story. The previous building was built in 1876 of brick and was L-shaped due to facing the town square. By 1911, the building no longer accommodated the increased activity for the prospering Vermilion County. But building a completely new building would have required a public referendum, and the county had just passed another bill to deal with the county's debt.
So, ingeniously, the decision was made to "repair" and "remodel" the existing building, a process which didn't need a referendum. This so-called remodeling meant tearing the old building down completely to its 1876 cornerstone and then erecting a new building directly on the same footprint, this time five stories instead of three.
In spite of this dubious method of getting a new building, one at least we can acknowledge that the result was certainly striking, marred only by a second-rate setting.
Vermilion County is named for the Vermilion River which runs through the county.
Clay County Courthouse
Louisville, Illinois
Visited: August 14, 2020
Erected: 1913
Architect: Joseph Royer
(Mr. Royer, of Urbana, was a prolific designer of courthouses in Illinois, having designed the buildings in Bureau, Champaign, Douglas, Ford, Grundy, Marion, Piatt, and Richland Counties.)
Unlike the Vermilion County Courthouse that earned its ranking here in spite of a less than ideal setting, the courthouse of Clay County, while fine on its own, earns much of its appeal from its commanding hilltop location.
Louisville, itself, is a rather small town in very rural Clay County. More than nearly any other county seat, the town gave the impression of being largely deserted.
This small but imposing building sits at the top of a rising that is the highest spot in town. I suppose you would call the site the town square, as it is a large grassy plot with a string of old and mainly empty commercial buildings on two sides. But rather than being centered on the plot as is more typical, the courthouse is positioned very much at one end, with a very long and impressive stair leading up to it from the other side, creating a sense of grandeur and significance that is sort of out of keeping with the rest of the community.
The 1913 building shares all of the typical features of this Neo-classical architectural style: gray limestone, four two-story Doric columns flanking the entrance, a balustrade around the roofline. On the back side (which apparently was originally the front) three very tall leaded windows that I can only assume provide an impressive wall of the main courtroom. (I've learned that most of these old courthouses, especially in rural counties include a single courtroom.)
There was also a grouping of markers commemorating casualties of the war in Vietnam. I know one shouldn't criticize markers, and indeed I mean no disrespect at all for the veterans, but there is a near universal pattern of these markers being created of large vertical slabs of excessively shiny black granite. Rarely do these installations sit comfortably in their settings. At least here in Louisville, the grouping is quite far from the building and so the stylistic mismatch is not as apparent as elsewhere. it did have the first example we discovered of the additional POW-MIA item of an empty theater seat cordoned off with a chain. Again, a touching thought but not really designed in a way to command the sober thought and memory the topic deserves.
Like so many older courthouses, the old jail sits adjacent. This one has been turned into a museum of some sort, but exudes an awful sense of doom.
Clay County is named for Henry Clay, American statesman from Kentucky.
Jackson County Courthouse
Murphysboro Illinois
Visited: September 18, 2020
Erected: 1927
Architect: Nelson Strong Spencer & Son
The Jackson County Courthouse sits in the middle of downtown Murphysboro on Courthouse Square. It is constructed of reinforced concrete in the Neo-classical style. Each side features a narrow portico supported by four columns supporting the triangular pediment. The facade is punctuated with regular windows on each side. To roofline is marked by a partial balustrade.
There is not a lot to distinguish this building from so many built in this same style, except for its extraordinary solidity and imposing presence in the heart of this bustling downtown. For being a town of a population of just around 8,000, Murphysboro has a feeling of being a much larger city.
Murphysboro is famous for its Apple Festival each Fall. Even though the festival was greatly curtailed for the year due to COVID restrictions, it was pleasant to see a plywood cutout of its mascot, Captain Applesauce, present on the courthouse lawn.
Jackson County is named for President Andrew Jackson.
Madison County Courthouse
Edwardsville, Illinois
Visited: October 9, 2020
Erected: 1915
Architect: Robert G. Kirsch
The Madison County Courthouse is a handsome stone and concrete building sitting on Main Street in the heart of downtown Edwardsville. It is very rectangular with all the standard Neo-classical elements of columns, solid ballustrade around the flat roofline, and decorative arches and pediments above the windows that stretch across the 2nd and 3rd floors. More so than the other courthouses in this style, it has somewhat more elaborate carving and decorations all around. One of the most memorable design features is some very interesting lettering above the entrance.
Somewhat surprisingly it is quite a bit larger that it appears at first sight, as its short side faces the street and one doesn't at first realize how deep the building is. Also, it is set very close to the street so it is somewhat challenging to get a nice view without being impacted by the passing traffic.
Edwardsville is one of the most prosperous-seeming downstate cities, due in part to being the home to Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (the sites of state universities in general seem to be doing ok) and also being reasonably close to St. Louis. Edwardsville is named for Ninian Edwards, first territorial governor of Illinois. There has always been a rumor that my dad's family is remotely related to Ninian Edwards, but I don't think it is actually true.
Ninian Edward has a very mixed legacy. He did a lot for establishing the early progressive government of Illinois, but he also was a slave holder (possible due to a loophole in the ordinance that established the Northwest Territory that classified enslaved people brought in to the territory at its inception as allowable indentured servants) and enthusiastic destroyer of the remaining indigenous people in Illinois territory. He used his considerable political clout to make a fortune in land speculation. In fact that farmland purchased in Shiloh Valley by my ancestors in 1832 and 1848 had been part of Ninian Edwards' estate.
Madison County is named for President James Madison.
Tazewell County Courthouse
Pekin, Illinois
Visited: July 19, 2020
Erected: 1915
Architect: Deal & Ginzie
It's hard to keep finding something specific to say about these buildings that are so very similar. This building is made of stone and concrete, rectangular, flat roof with balustrade. There's a huge stone eagle mounted just above the main entrance. Like the building in Edwardsville, there is some considerable decorative stone carving.
I have to confess that this building made essentially no impact on me. The most memorable aspect was the disconcerting prominence of a twentieth century cannon along the entrance sidewalk. Pekin, itself, is on the Illinois River with a somewhat depressed downtown commercial district.
The county is named for Lyttleton W. Tazewell, a U.S. Senator from Virginia.
Richland County Courthouse
Olney, Illinois
Visited: August 14, 2020
Erected: 1915
Architect: Joseph Royer
The Richland County Courthouse is located in the heart of downtown Olney, a medium-sized town in southeastern Illinois. This building is perfectly fine but describing it makes it all too obvious why this architectural category (at least for courthouse design) is a big fat bore. It is constructed of gray limestone, featuring four towering columns supporting a very narrow portico on all four sides. The window design is exceptionally plain and the solid balustrade lacks much interest.
The building positives are three pleasing arches on the first floor marking the entrance doors, very lovely acacia leaf style carving on the pediment surface, and a large handsome clock, a common courthouse feature that is otherwise not represented in this architectural grouping.
Olney is mainly famous as being a habitat for white albino squirrels. The image of a white squirrel is on the city seal and on the police cars. A civic art installation has fiberglass white squirrel figures placed all around town, including one on the courthouse grounds. We drove around a bit but unfortunately did not spy any actual white squirrels. I read a few years ago that red squirrels have made a settlement and that interbreeding is threatening the perpetuating of the white squirrel community.
There is also a very obtrusive grouping of black granite Vietnam Veterans Memorial markers and flags for the various military divisions.
The county is named after Richland County in Ohio, whence many of the early settlers originated.
Douglas County Courthouse
Tuscola, Illinois
Visited: August 13, 2020
Erected: 1912
Architect: Joseph Royer
Yet another building without many distinguishing features: buff limestone and concrete, four tall but not free-standing columns, horizontal banded stone work, a very unsatisfactory roofline treatment. But honestly there's nothing really wrong with the building.
It gets this relatively low placement in ranking mainly because of its setting and grounds. Unlike most courthouses, the Douglas County building is situated away from downtown in a residential neighborhood. That isn't necessarily bad, but in this case it seems sort of misplaced. But more puzzling is a large marker flanking the entrance sidewalk labeling the area as a horticultural garden commemorating the bicentennial and suggesting quite a display. Maybe there was at some time some effort at presenting some vegetative decoration, but there was just nothing there except grass lawn. There was the bare minimum of undistinguished annuals planted in a small characterless sidewalk edge, similar to what you might see at the entrance to an orthodontist's office. Sadly this really disposed me negative to the whole building.
Douglas County is named for Stephen Douglas.
Mound City, Illinois
Visited: September 18, 2020
Erected: 1913
Architect: Solon Willis
Psychologically, I want to rank this building higher in this category, simply because it shows some signs of individuality...but I honestly must admit that it is not very prepossessing.
The main welcome difference is that the construction is of two tones of brownish brick: a darker reddish color the first floor and then a lighter tan for the two upper stories. The entrance is flanked by two flattened two-story columns, a stone entablature above the columns and also above the entrance door, and a decorative "1913" shield crowning the raised central section of the parapet. There is some nice detail about the horizontal concrete cornice running above the top floor.
Unfortunately, some ancillary features detract from any feeling of grandeur. There is a rickety rusty external fire escape tacked on to he left side of the building, very visible from the front. Mound City is a very unstructured sort of town with nothing approximating a downtown, but the courthouse is not exactly in the core of the town and is situated right beside a very large park of athletic fields and ball diamonds The overall impression makes this feel like a small town high school...and one that might be in danger of being converted into an antique mall if the school district were to be consolidated. The trio of secretaries loitering around the side entrance smoking on their break added to the general feeling that this place wasn't entirely professional.
But in spite of that feeling, there was something rather appealing about the whole place and so I wish I could put this a little higher in the ranking.
Pulaski County as named after the Polish Count Casmir Pulaski Revolutionary War hero.
Massac County Courthouse
Metropolis, Illinois
Visited: September 18, 2020
Erected: 1941
Architect: Samuel Lester Daly
The Massac County Courthouse is the most recently-built of these neoclassical buildings, and as such combines the classic features with a slightly more modern feel. It was built as a project of the WPA.
The building itself is pretty plain with just a few decorative features. Primarily of brick it does have two tall columns marking the entrance and supporting a large concrete slab on which "MASSAC COVNTY COVRT HOVSE" is carved. (The "v's" in these sort of carvings always puzzle me...it's clear the carver an easily do curves as evidenced by the o's and the c's yet somehow preserves the affectation of not carving a u.) The windows on the first floor are topped across the width of the building with arches.
A necessary but unfortunate appendage is a very prominent metal accessibility ramp along the entire right side of the facade. It all looks very temporary; I think a more permanent ramp that maybe used brick or a more permanent looking rail would help a great deal and not draw one's attention so forcefully.
Of course, Metropolis is the traditional home of Superman, so here we have the only instance of an extra-large super hero statue on the courthouse grounds. The courthouse is on a nice central square in downtown Metropolis. Contrary to the image suggested by the name, Metropolis is a sleepy sort of place. Its main draw seems to be the photo op of the Superman statue and a pretty tacky souvenir shop and museum. Apparently there is also a Lois Lane statue, but I wasn't aware of it when we were here so I can't describe it.
Massac County is named for Fort Massac, a historic French colonial fort located just east of Metropolis on the Ohio River that was an important location during the French and Indian War and later activities in settling the region.
Marion County Courthouse
Salem, Illinois
Visited: August 16 2020
Erected: 1911
Architect: Joseph W. Royer
Here we have the fourth courthouse in this category designed by the architect Joseph Royer of Urbana (See Clay, Douglas, and Richland Counties, not to mention five other buildings, some of which maybe actually should have been included here). Maybe familiarity breeds contempt and my lack of affection for this building is simply its lack of anything new to offer.
It is constructed of limestone and concrete, has two Ionic columns, a recessed entrance, and horizontal cornice. It's on a nice central square. But sadly there's something about the whole setup that I could hardly care less about this building. I feel badly that I can't muster up any enthusiasm.
On the other hand, across the street behind is a Methodist Church with one of the most unusual window arrangements I've ever seen in an otherwise very traditional church building. Unfortunately, efforts to find out more information about the church were fruitless.
Otherwise, Salem was the birthplace of William Jennings Bryan and has a lovely park with a statue of Bryan just north of town. Also, the nearby high school is a wonderful mid-century modern structure that seems relatively unspoiled by modifications.
Marion County is named for Francis Marion, Revolutionary War hero who was known as "The Swamp Fox."
So there we have the first installment of recording and analyzing in the most basic way of our exploration of Illinois' courthouses. As we go further along, we will find a few absolute wrecks. Even though I assigned a couple low-ish ratings here I should say that these Neo-Classical buildings were at worst jut forgettable.
Next I'll tackle the Art Deco designs.
(Also, it should be noted that my companion on this adventure, Andrew Nogal, may have a somewhat different assessment of these buildings; these are my own personal reflections.)
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