{"nrhp_refnum":"86003167","name":"Morgan County Courthouse","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"300 W. State St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Jacksonville","county":"Morgan County","state":"IL","lat":39.73467315800008,"lon":-90.23166593499997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-11-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story limestone county courthouse at 300 West State Street in Jacksonville, Morgan County, Illinois, built 1868-1869 to designs by Chicago architect Gurdon P. Randall, with Charles R. Underwood & Sons as builder.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as an unusual stone Italianate/Second Empire courthouse with asymmetrical towers, and a strong example of Randall's work. It is also the third county courthouse and the repository of county records tied to several nationally prominent political figures, including Stephen A. Douglas, Richard Yates Jr. and William Jennings Bryan.","narrative":"Morgan County Courthouse is a three-story limestone building on West State Street in Jacksonville, two blocks west of the town square. Chicago architect Gurdon P. Randall designed it, and Charles R. Underwood & Sons of Shelbyville built it between 1868 and 1869. The rusticated stone came from Joliet by rail. Its style blends the towered Italianate villa with French Second Empire, with a mansard roof, round-headed windows and three asymmetrical towers that give it a vertical emphasis. It was the county's third courthouse and became the repository for Morgan County records dating to 1823. Those records include the early legal careers of figures such as Stephen A. Douglas, Richard Yates Jr. and William Jennings Bryan. The building has been altered over time, including a new roof, replaced steps and doors, and a remodeled courtroom in 1926, yet it retains its overall design. The great bell and the clock faces remain in the tower, while the wooden statue of Justice is gone.","period_of_significance":"1868-1936","architect_builder":"Gurdon P. Randall, architect; C. R. Underwood, builder","architectural_style":"Eclectic blend of towered Italianate country villa and French Second Empire","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as occupied, public government use; described as in good condition with some alterations, and the county still uses it for records and offices.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.864726-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/75/8937/28893775/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/86003167.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86003167/fcb2cda63d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86003167/fcb2cda63d-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Morgan_County_Courthouse,_Jacksonville.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Morgan_County_Courthouse,_Jacksonville.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"100002915","name":"Jacksonville Downtown Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/illinois/jacksonville-downtown-historic-district-100002915/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893775","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan_County_Courthouse_(Illinois)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15256216"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/morgan-county/morgan-county-courthouse-86003167/"}