Effingham County Courthouse

The Effingham County Courthouse, in the county seat of Effingham, Effingham County, in the US state of Illinois, has been listed on the US National Register of Historic Places since September 1985. The building is one of Effingham County's two Registered Historic Places (the other, in Altamont, is the Dr. Charles M. Wright House). The 1871 courthouse structure is still in use.Effingham County has constructed a new building, named the Effingham County Government Center, one block west of the 1871 courthouse. It was placed in service in September 2007, after which the 1871 structure was not used on a daily basis.The Effingham County Courthouse was started in 1870 and completed in 1871 at a cost of roughly $30,000. Its style is known as Second Empire, a style popular in the United States during the latter part of the nineteenth century, coming from France's Second Empire period of the late 18th century. There have been two minor changes to the exterior; in 1913 the bell tower was changed from the Second Empire style to a simple square with a pyramidal roof; and somewhat later the southeast exterior door was changed to permit handicapped access and a small porch roof was added to shelter the door.