Clark County Courthouse (Illinois)

	Clark County Courthouse
	U.S. Historic district; Contributing property
	Italian Renaissance Revival
Part of	Marshall Business Historic District (ID13000183)
Added to NRHP	May 24, 2013

The Clark County Courthouse is a government building in Marshall, the county seat of Clark County, Illinois, United States. Completed in 1903, it is the fifth courthouse in the third community in Clark County's history.

Early history

A few Americans tried to settle on the

weatherboarded in 1832, the upper floor was fitted as living space, and on weekends the first floor served as a meeting place for a Presbyterian congregation whose pastor lived upstairs.^[2]

^: 241

New county seat

Darwin's location in the corner of the county, far from the new

Second Empire style,^[3]^: 16 but this structure served only for a short time — fire destroyed it after just fifteen years of service.^[4]

Current courthouse

Following the fire, county officials contracted for the erection of a fifth courthouse in 1903; it was completed by year's end and officially dedicated in 1904.

Palladian window overlooking a balcony. Except for the entrance and its surroundings, the western (rear) facade is nearly identical to the eastern (front) facade. The building's overall design is predominantly Renaissance Revival in style;^[3]^: 15 many elements resemble those of the earlier Italianate style, but rough stonework on the first story and large quoins are more typical of the later style.^[3]^: 26 On the southern side, a stairway provides access from the roof to the bell tower,^[3]^: 58 and a bandstand sits on the northeastern corner of the lawn.^[4]

Historic site

Much of central Marshall was designated a historic district and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.^[1] The courthouse was designated a contributing property within the district, as was the bandstand, and many of the other contributing properties are smaller buildings that face the courthouse square.^[3]^: 32

References

^ ^a ^b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Perrin, William Henry. History of Crawford and Clark counties, Illinois. Chicago: O.L. Baskin, 1883.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Smith, Kimberly. National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Marshall Business Historic District. National Park Service, c. 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Weiser, Dennis. Illinois courthouses: an illustrated history. Virginia Beach: Donning, 2009, 30.

External links

Clark County

[nris-1] "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.

[history-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Perrin, William Henry. History of Crawford and Clark counties, Illinois. Chicago: O.L. Baskin, 1883.

[nomination-3] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Smith, Kimberly. National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Marshall Business Historic District. National Park Service, c. 2012.

[weiser-4] Weiser, Dennis. Illinois courthouses: an illustrated history. Virginia Beach: Donning, 2009, 30.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]