Cambria County Courthouse
Why it's listed
Built in 1881 in the Victorian Second Empire style, the Cambria County Courthouse stands on South Center Street in Ebensburg. Designed by M. E. Beebe of Buffalo, New York, it has a mansard slate roof with porthole dormers, a projecting central pavilion, and walls of Philadelphia pressed brick. In 1923 the building was enlarged with three wings in the same style, and the interior was remodelled around a rotunda topped by a stained-glass dome displaying the county seal. The courthouse houses the county's elected and most appointed officials and holds the county's deeds, court records, births and deaths, marriages, and election returns. It is regarded as a rare local example of such elaborate scale. The building was also the site of relief efforts after the 1889 Johnstown Flood and of political speeches and election counts. Judge John W. Kephart, who served the county before his state appointments, is connected with a legal decision on the Public Service Commission that was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is significant for its associations with the growth and development of Cambria County and for its elaborate Second Empire design, which it calls rare in the county. It states that the courthouse has been the setting for political and judicial events, including relief coordination after the 1889 Johnstown Flood and a Superior Court and Supreme Court decision on the Public Service Commission associated with Judge John W. Kephart.
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 80003449, listed June 30, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Center St., Ebensburg |
|---|---|
| County | Cambria County |
| Listed | June 30, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80003449 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1880-81 |
| Architect / builder | M.E. Beebe (architect); Henry Shenk (builder) |
| Architectural style | Victorian Second Empire |
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The 1979 description notes major deterioration from water infiltration on a poorly drained roof, with a new roof planned by county commissioners. |
| Acreage | 1.6 |
| Within district | Ebensburg Historic District |
| Coordinates | 40.48376, -78.72450 (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 80003449.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5025253
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.