On the surface, Federal Style architecture is pretty similar to Georgian. It shares many of the same elements--symmetry classical details and a side gabled roof. Its details are usually a little more delicate and slender than Georgian counterparts. It will often have front door fanlight with flanking sidelights and more elaborate door surrounds and porticos. To be honest, I'm not sure if I divided the Georgian Revival buildings from the Federal ones completely accurately, but I relied on several online resources to make the distinction.
Federal architecture was very popular in America following the revolution, until it was replaced with an interest in Greek Revival and then again by Georgian Revival.
In my mind, this might be the least interesting set of courthouses for our consideration.
Bond County Courthouse
Greenville, Illinois
Visited: August 16, 2020
Erected: 1885
Architect: W.R. Parsons
Greenville is picture postcard of a vintage Midwest downtown. The courthouse sits right in the middle on a shaded square--so shaded by trees, in fact, that it is sort of difficult to get a really clear vision of the whole building.
It is a red brick building with narrow arched windows, a recessed entry supported by two slender pillars, and attractive green shutters. Originally the building included a tower that was removed in 1948.
Greenville was a significant spot on the Underground Railroad.
Bond County was named after Shadrach Bond, first governor of Illinois.
Perry County Courthouse
Pinkneyville, Illinois
Visited: September 17, 2020
Erected: 1850
Architect: Danial W. Norris
The Perry County courthouse is a handsome building of buff colored brick and concrete. It has a central recessed section with front-facing gabled wings on either side. Unusually, there are two entrance doors with stone surrounds right beside each other in the second section. Apparently just one half of the building was initially erected and then the other half was added in 1871. It is remarkable that the result building maintains such remarkable symmetry.
The building is in exceptionally fine condition after several rounds of remodeling, the most recent in 1994.
Pinkneyville is known mainly to me as the midpoint between Belleville and Carbondale. I remember riding the school bus to Carbondale for Math Field Days. As a member of the math team, each student got maybe $4 to buy lunch. But I always was careful to save some of that for the ride home, as we would usually stop at the Pinkneyville Dairy Queen to get ice cream cones.
The courthouse is very nice, but Pinkneyville, itself is rather unpreposseing. It seems that Pinkneyville was a town of huge anti-black racist policies well into the 1970s.
Perry County was named for Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry.
Pope County Courthouse
Golconda, Illinois
Visited: September 19, 2020
Erected: 1873
Architects: Young & Frick
Another perfectly nice but not terribly memorable building. Red brick with lovely arched windows on a spacious square, interestingly fitted with a number of picnic tables.
Golconda was a spot on the infamous Trail of Tears in which the native Cherokee were forced west. Many Cherokee died of starvation and want while waiting to cross the Ohio River ferry here.
Pope County was named after Nathaniel Pope, first territorial Secretary of State.
Monroe County Courthouse
Waterloo, Illinois
Visited: August 8, 2020
Erected: 1853
Architect: Lloyd Prater
The Monroe County Courthouse is a modest brick building facing Main Street in downtown Waterloo, a surprisingly active downtown. The core of the building is quite old, with white window trim, green shutters, stone window caps, and a hipped roof.
The original structure has been added to a few times. The first addition were two wings in 1907. A much more extensive modern addition was done in 1995. While the new modern addition is significantly bigger than the original building, it was done in such a fashion that you can't really see the modern part when looking at the front and preserves the original effect of the old courthouse very nicely.
Monroe County was named for James Monroe, curiously, before he became president.
Mason County Courthouse
Havana, Illinois
Visited: June 28, 2020
Erected: 1883
Architect: William S Allen
I have to say this building sort of defies description. It doesn't look much like anything. It is built of beige brick with hardly any ornamentation of any sort...the original section has a small portico and gabled roof.
The second portion apparently was originally a barn or shed of some sort that was expanded and connected to the main building. It sits in a nice park setting next to downtown Havana; it just gives very little impression as a building of any consequence.
Havana sits on the Illinois River and is in an area of significant Native American Indian Mounds. Dickson Mounds sort of became infamous in that I had excavated a burial mound built a museum over it and you could walk through on an elevated walkway and see the exposed bones of the people buried there. We went there when I was quite young and I remember it pretty well; that building has subsequently been closed to the public; I'm not sure if they actually covered up the bodies or not.
Havana also has a very old water tower remaining. It was only made noteworthy to us in that one of the people written about in Spoon River Anthology was someone who fell from the tower.
Mason County is named for George Mason, "Father of the Bill of Rights."
Calhoun County Courthouse
Hardin, Illinois
Visited: October 9, 2020
Erected: 1848
Architect: William D. Hamilton
Here's another courthouse that gives so little impression as a public building, it's hard to discuss. The core is a two-story red brick building with a gable roof. But then, there is just a hodge-podge of additions and appurtenances that are hard to make sense of. Clearly, the odd tower must be there to house an elevator, and thereby connects it to a small building that was next door, but then a strange aluminum sided insert was put in to support a modified roofline connecting the buildings. It's not much bigger than a moderate sized house. It doesn't help that an iron fire escape is the most prominent element one sees on viewing the building, either.
Calhoun County, in some ways, seems one of the most remote areas of the state, which is sort of odd in that it is not really that far from St. Louis. But it is a very narrow area bounded on the east by the Illinois River and on the West by the Mississippi River. Even so, it seems mainly to be on pretty high bluffs. There are very few river crossings by bridge or ferry, and so one feels a little bit isolated being there.
The terrain is very beautiful though, and the area is filled with numerous apple and peach orchards.
Calhoun County was named for John C Calhoun, South Carolina politician.
I guess next up will be Italianate style buildings.
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