The Edgar County Courthouse

Twenty-six acres of land were donated by Samuel Vance to encourage locating the county seat of Edgar County in what is now Paris, Illinois.

The original plat was surveyed by Amos Williams, County Surveyor, who noted in his report of 1823 that Jack Oak in the center of the public square was at the beginning corner of the survey. A star marker, which can be seen by looking down the elevator shaft in the present courthouse, designates where that oak was located.

The first court business had been conducted in a log cabin in Hunter Township. In 1825, shortly after Edgar County was formed from a division of Clark County, a 22 by 32 foot, two-story weather-boarded courthouse, complete with a small white tower and a winding stairway, was built on the south side of the square, where Pearman's Drug Store now stands. Since the structure was costly to maintain, it was decided to replace it with a sturdier building.

In 1833, in the center of the public square, a two-story brick structure, topped with a cupola, was built by Leander Munsell, a pioneer contractor, for the sum of $4,250. Both Court houses were used for religious meetings when churches were not yet built.

At least two historically important men had occasion to visit this second courthouse. Stephen A. Douglas spoke from the east door of the old courthouse in the fall of 1855, beginning the discussions of issues which led to the civil war, and Abraham Lincoln, whose voice was heard in the old courthouse when Judge Street and Judge David Davis presided. After fifty years of service, this second courthouse was condemned and sold for $10.00. Then for several years, court was held in Academy Hall.

At the April election in 1891, the people of Edgar County voted an appropriation of $74.,000. A committee, after advertising for plans and specifications, awarded the contract to Henry Elliot of Chicago, one of the most widely known architects in the western states. Hibbert Bros. of Ohio was awarded the construction contract with a bid of $71, 276 which was later increased to $74,960 when specifications were changed to include tile flooring, rather than quarter-sawed oak, and an increase of nineteen feet on the tower. The cost of the building, including interior decorating, fixtures for heating and lighting, the walks, yard grading, and the courthouse furnishings, totaled $104,807.93.

The ground was broken September, 1891. By November 5th the foundation was finished and an appropriate ceremony was held for the laying of the cornerstone.

Masonic services, speeches, and patriotic songs by a chorus of one hundred children from the city schools made up this program. The first story was finished by 1892, and the building was completed November 20, 1893. The city built sidewalks surrounding the grounds and a tunnel from the courthouse to the jail for heating pipes so that the same furnace could heat both buildings. The structure was built of blue Amhurst stone from Cleveland quarries. It has four fronts, all alike, with entrances at each corner sheltered by overhanging stone porches. The tower and dome rise 150 feet and are topped with the statue symbolizing justice.

Inside, the corridors are twelve feet wide with tiled floors, wainscoting made of marble, and frescoed ceilings. The main offices are on the first floor, and the court and grand jury rooms and the office of the county superintendent of schools are reached by a marble stairway rising to the second floor. The marble used in this building was supplied by the Pickle Marble and Granite Co. of St. Louis. The floors are iron-joisted, and the walls contain brick partitions. The court rooms are known for the excellent acoustics. J.A. Kester was the clock contractor whose bid of $875 was accepted for installation of the Seth Thomas tower clocks with six-and-a half-foot iron skeleton dials. The bell was cast at McShane Bell Foundry of Baltimore, Maryland.

Perhaps the most notable feature of this courthouse are the four large paneled oil paintings which were rescued from demolition and the destruction of time by the Edgar County Historical Society in a project begun in 1974 in preparation for the nation's bicentennial celebration. The Merchant of Venice, the Chicago Exposition, Putnam's Ride, and Washington at Valley Forge were all cleaned and/or restored and at an open house held in January, 1973, all of the pictures were on display for the public to view.

In 1981 the Edgar County Courthouse was placed on the National Register and is one of the city's most visible symbols.