Holmes County Courthouse And Jail
Why it's listed
Holmes County Courthouse and Jail sit together on the public square in the center of Millersburg. The courthouse, built between 1884 and 1886, is a two-story Second Empire building of rock-faced stone quarried within the county, with mansard-roofed corner towers, a slate hipped roof and a central clock tower. Inside, a rotunda with a stained glass center and gesso decoration survives, and the second-floor courtroom keeps its original fixtures. The brick jail, built about 1880, has Italianate detailing including ornate hood molds, bracketed entrance hoods and rusticated stone quoins. Architect J. W. Yost designed the courthouse, and Hibbert and Schaus of Newark, Ohio, constructed it. The buildings replaced earlier county structures, which dated from shortly after an 1834 fire that destroyed the first log courthouse and jail. They were listed as a fine pair of nineteenth century county buildings in a square setting.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the two buildings as good examples of surviving nineteenth century county buildings. The Second Empire courthouse and the Italianate-detailed jail form a fine pair in a public square setting. The courthouse was designed by architect J. W. Yost and built with locally quarried stone.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 74001529, listed July 25, 1974. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Courthouse Sq., Millersburg |
|---|---|
| County | Holmes County |
| Listed | July 25, 1974 |
| Reference number | 74001529 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 19th Century (courthouse built 1884-6; jail built circa 1880) |
| Architect / builder | Architect J. W. Yost; construction by Hibbert and Schaus of Newark, Ohio |
| Architectural style | Second Empire (courthouse); Italianate detailing (jail) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Both buildings are described as in good condition; the courthouse is county-owned, occupied and used for government. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Within district | Millersburg Historic District |
| Coordinates | 40.55396, -81.91697 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 74001529.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5883541
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.