{"nrhp_refnum":"85002304","name":"Effingham County Courthouse","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"110 E. Jefferson St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Effingham","county":"Effingham County","state":"IL","lat":39.12165682600005,"lon":-88.54121268799997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-09-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick and stone county courthouse with attic and basement at 110 East Jefferson in Effingham, Illinois, built 1870-71 to a design by William Brown of St. Louis. It is the fourth courthouse in the county and stands on a landscaped courthouse square.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is a prime example of the Second Empire style in Effingham County and the fanciest of the county's four Second Empire buildings. It has also been the focal point of county government and the circuit court since 1871. It hosted the 1875 trial and the last execution in the county, and it has served as a center of community events.","narrative":"Effingham County's courthouse, built in 1870-71 at 110 East Jefferson in Effingham, Illinois, replaced an earlier brick courthouse destroyed by fire in 1869. William Brown of St. Louis designed it, and W. E. Grey built it for about $28,000, plus extra for stone window headers and quoins. The two-story brick, stone and wood building has a concave Mansard roof with dormers, corbeled rooflines, columned porches on the north and south ends, and a bell tower that enclosed the original belvedere in 1913. It is the most elaborate of four Second Empire buildings in the county. The interior has been modernized, though wainscoting and transoms remain. Beyond its architecture, the building has housed county officials, records and the circuit court since 1871. It was the site of the 1875 trial and hanging of Nathan Burgess, the county's last execution, and it has hosted centennial rallies, civil defense training and annual Old Settlers Reunion events.","period_of_significance":"1870-71","architect_builder":"William Brown of St. Louis, architect; W. E. Grey, Contractor","architectural_style":"Second Empire","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Occupied and in use as the county courthouse; exterior condition described as excellent, with the interior modernized over the years and some deterioration of stone window header ends.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.176407-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/29/8928/28892829/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/85002304.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85002304/2936f4b6b0-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85002304/2936f4b6b0-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Gerald Roll","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Effingham_County_Courthouse,_Effingham,_IL.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Gerald Roll</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Effingham_County_Courthouse,_Effingham,_IL.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28892829","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effingham_County_Cultural_Center_and_Museum","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5347487"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/effingham-county/effingham-county-courthouse-85002304/"}