{"nrhp_refnum":"75000672","name":"Putnam County Courthouse","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"4th St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Hennepin","county":"Putnam County","state":"IL","lat":41.25628765500005,"lon":-89.34789549899995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1975-03-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A county courthouse on 4th Street in Hennepin, Putnam County, Illinois, built in 1839 in Greek style with a north wing added in 1893.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as the oldest courthouse in Illinois still used as a courthouse, with only minor alterations. It also reflects the political history of Putnam County, which was once the state's largest county and is now its smallest.","narrative":"Putnam County Courthouse in Hennepin, Illinois, was completed in 1839 by contractors Gorham and Durley for $14,000. It is a brick building in the Greek style, with a portico of four wooden Doric columns, brick pilasters, stone window heads and a roof carried on wooden trusses. County offices occupy the ground floor and the courtroom and judges' offices the second. In 1893 a two-story north wing, designed by Brainard & Pockend of Chicago and built by J.A. Williams for $4,780, added fireproof vaults and a grand jury room and turned the plan into an L-shape. The building is considered the oldest courthouse in Illinois still serving as one; the courthouse at Galena dates from the same year but has been heavily remodeled. Putnam County was originally the largest county in the state and is now the smallest, and early on the courthouse also hosted religious worship.","period_of_significance":"19th and 20th centuries (specific date 1839)","architect_builder":"Gorham & Durley (main building, 1839); Brainard & Pockend of Chicago prepared plans for the 1893 addition; J.A. Williams (builder, 1893 addition)","architectural_style":"Greek Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed in good condition, occupied, and still in use as the Putnam County Courthouse.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.721742-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/29/8939/28893929/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/75000672.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75000672/0c9d53d2e0-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75000672/0c9d53d2e0-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Putnam_County_Courthouse,_Hennepin.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Putnam_County_Courthouse,_Hennepin.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893929","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putnam_County_Courthouse_(Illinois)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15269410"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/putnam-county/putnam-county-courthouse-75000672/"}