Washington County Courthouse (Oregon)

The Washington County Courthouse in Hillsboro, Oregon is the courthouse for Washington County, Oregon, in the United States. Washington County was established in 1843 and the first government building was finished in 1852. The current courthouse was built in 1928 with an addition and renovations to the structure in 1972. Currently the building houses courtrooms, the county sheriff’s dispatch, staff offices, and the office of the district attorney. The county jail was previously attached to the courthouse.HistoryWashington County was created as Twality District on July 5, 1843, as part of the Champoeg Meetings that created the Provisional Government of Oregon. The county became Washington County by an act of the Territorial Legislature in 1849, and in 1850 the community that would become Hillsboro was selected as the county seat.The first courthouse in the county was a log cabin near what is now Northwest 253rd, located on the land claim of Edward Constable where court sessions were held briefly. In 1850, David Hill sold 40acre and a cabin from his land claim to the county for $200. This cabin was used to house the court until 1852 when a two-story building was finished to serve as the courthouse and center of county government in Hillsboro.Built of cedar, this building was on land donated by the Kelsey family and located on the same block as the current site of the county courthouse on the northwest corner of Main and 1st streets in downtown Hillsboro. Designed by A. B. Hallock, the building was 32ft by 40ft and built by William Green. Construction began in the middle of 1852 and the county accepted the building on December 8, 1852, at a cost of $3,300.