{"nrhp_refnum":"94001266","name":"Montgomery County Courthouse","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Courthouse Sq.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Hillsboro","county":"Montgomery County","state":"IL","lat":39.16135369700004,"lon":-89.49341556099995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1994-10-28","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story red brick Second Empire courthouse on the public square in downtown Hillsboro, Montgomery County, Illinois, created by remodeling the county's second courthouse between 1868 and 1872.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the courthouse is locally significant under Criterion A for Politics/Government. It has housed county government, courts and records since about 1870. Day-to-day county business, from taxes and roads to welfare and schools, was conducted there throughout the 1870-1944 period.","narrative":"Standing at the center of the public square in downtown Hillsboro, Illinois, the Montgomery County Courthouse is a red brick building in the Second Empire style. It resulted from changes and improvements made between 1868 and 1872 to the county's second courthouse, reusing much of the older walls. Features include limestone arches and sills, decorative wooden brackets, a southwest stair tower, and a southeast pavilion with a mansard roof. The tower's original roof was removed in 1952, and windows and cladding were altered in 1983. Inside, a main hallway and a two-story courtroom organize the plan, and an unusual third-floor jail once sat above the sheriff's quarters. The courthouse is recognized for its role in local government between 1870 and 1944, when it held county records, courts, and the offices that handled taxes, roads, welfare, schools and elections. New courthouse functions moved next door in 1994, while some county offices stay.","period_of_significance":"1870-1944","architect_builder":"Randall, G. P., Architect","architectural_style":"Second Empire","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Court functions moved to a new courthouse just north in June 1994; the County Clerk and Treasurer offices remain in the historic building, with other offices expected to join them.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.686427-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/65/8937/28893765/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/94001266.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/94001266/4e1dde7bcb-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/94001266/4e1dde7bcb-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Montgomery_County_Courthouse,_Hillsboro.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Montgomery_County_Courthouse,_Hillsboro.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893765","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montgomery_County_Courthouse_(Illinois)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q17300118"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/montgomery-county/montgomery-county-courthouse-94001266/"}