Update: I went back in the summer of 2023. This is Gary, Indiana. A city only founded in 1906, which peaked at a population of 178,320 in 1960, an increase of 33% from the 1950 federal census. In the most recent census of 2020, it has dropped to 69,093, a drop of 61%. These photos…
Tag: Courthouses
Winneshiek County Courthouse, Decorah, Iowa
One of the more spectacular courthouses I’ve seen lately is the Winneshiek County Courthouse in Decorah, Iowa, located in the northeastern reaches of the state. Replacing the first permanent courthouse on the site, and costing $125,000 to build, it was designed by A.C. Kinney of Minneapolis and completed in 1904. I suppose I would describe…
Around Downtown, Galesburg, Illinois
Whiting Hall the Italianate style building above and below, was originally part of Knox College and functioned as a women’s seminary. The central core is from 1854-7, with the east wing added in 1885 and the west wing added in 1895, when it received its current name. It is now senior housing. The Knox County…
Bolivar, Polk County
We visited Bolivar in Polk County, both of which were indirectly named after two famous people. Bolivar was named after a city of the same name in Tennessee where many early settlers came from, which of course was named after the famous liberator of many South American countries, Simon Bolivar. Polk County was not named…
Bowling Green, Pike County
Constructed in 1917, the Pike County courthouse sits in the middle of the square in downtown Bowling Green. There is a veterans’ memorial on the southwest corner of the building. It’s in a reserved Beaux-Arts style, typical of the time. Apparently Champ Clark, Speaker of the House served from this part of the state. You…
Downtown Civic Buildings, Lincoln, Illinois
Oh no, they pulled a Chambord on me! But anyway, the Logan County Courthouse, constructed in 1905, is a beautiful building, nonetheless. It is relatively unadorned, and seems to be constructed out of yellow limestone or sandstone. Like many palaces in Europe, the first floor possesses rusticated stonework, while the upper stories features polished finish….
Around Woodford County, Illinois, June 2022
I went around and looked at some of the towns northeast of the family farm. I started with Eureka, the county seat of Woodford County. I could have sworn I had featured the courthouse before, but apparently not. Got to love the bank where they filled in the windows–who needs natural light when there’s amazing…
Jerseyville, Jersey County, Illinois
Jerseyville, the county seat of Jersey County, is out in the country north of St. Louis, but I still lumped it in with the Metro East due to its proximity to the city. The courthouse, the third one on the site, was designed by Henry Elliott of Chicago. Erected in 1893, which the front façade…
Carrollton, Greene County, Illinois
South on U.S. Highway 67 from Jacksonville is the county seat of Greene County, Carrollton. It’s fascinating to see how quiet and rural the countryside of Illinois becomes when you get away from the major arteries, whether they’re the interstate or railroad, and quaint towns appear on the old highways. It is only sixty miles…
Morgan County Courthouse, Jacksonville, Illinois
The Morgan County Courthouse is a massive pile of Second Empire goodness, sitting not in the middle of the nearby Central Park, but tucked away rather unobtrusively on a street radiating out from the square. Designed by J.B. Randal of Chicago in 1867, it was completed in 1869. The stone comes from Joliet, which makes…