Kankakee County Courthouse

The Kankakee County Courthouse in Courthouse Square is a historic building in Kankakee, Illinois, United States that has been home to the government of Kankakee County since 1912. The current structure, the third county courthouse, took three years to build and is considered a fine example of Beaux-Arts architecture.HistoryThe area now known as Courthouse Square in Kankakee, Illinois was originally used by the Pottawatomi as a council ground. European settlement began in 1832 with the Treaty of Camp Tippecanoe. In 1851, the Illinois Central Railroad decided to build a station in what is now Kankakee. The Associates Land Company, formed by supporters of the Illinois Central, purchased and platted the land around the station, calling it Kankakee Depot. When Kankakee County was formed in 1853, Kankakee Depot competed with Momence to be named county seat. The influence of the Associates Land Company, who offered to donate a large block of land and $5000 for a courthouse, swayed voters to select Kankakee Depot as seat.The first Kankakee County Courthouse was built shortly thereafter. The three-story building became a social center and trading place in addition to its capacities in county government. Stephen A. Douglas gave a speech in front of the courthouse during his 1858 Senate Campaign. On May 17, 1861, it was home to Kankakee County's only case of capital punishment when an African-American man was hanged from the second floor for the murder of a white girl. On October 5, 1872, the courthouse was destroyed in a fire. The limestone walls were cleaned and re-used in the second courthouse. The new courthouse was built to similar specification as the first. The main difference was the cupola, which was railed higher than the first. The courthouse opened in October 1873.