Putnam County is named for Israel Putnam, who was a general in the American Revolutionary War.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Bureau County
E – LaSalle County
S – Marshall County
W – Bureau County
Created: January 13, 1825
County Seat:
Hennepin 1831 – present
County Courthouse – Hennepin
Location: 120 North 4th Street / High Street
Built: 1837 – 1838
Style: Greek Revival
Architect: Gorham & Durley
Contractor: Gorham & Durley
Description: The building faces west and is a two story red colored brick and wood structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Hennepin. The north front has a large portico supported by four large white colored Doric columns rising to a wide pediment at the roof line. The roof is hipped. In the interior the hallway runs north-south. Wood stairs ascend to the second story County Circuit Court courtroom. In 1893, an addition was built on the north side by J A Williams. A lower two story red colored brick addition was designed by Brainard & Packard and constructed on the east side and a one story red brick addition was added onto the east side addition in 1994. Restoration work was completed by Trillium Dell Timberworks in 2010.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Putnam County Courthouse
Note: The courthouse is the oldest courthouse in Illinois still used as a courthouse and was built at the same time as the courthouse in Jo Daviess County. The third oldest courthouse is in Henderson County.
See: The 10th Judicial District includes Marshall County, Peoria County, Stark County and Tazewell County.
History: The county was created in 1825 and Hennepin was selected as the county seat in 1831. The first commissioners met in the house of Thomas Hartzwell in 1831. The first courthouse was a large wood structure built in 1833. The second and present courthouse was constructed in 1837 to 1838 at a cost of $14,000. The cost of the 1893 addition was $4,780.
County Courthouse – Hennepin
County Circuit Court courtroom
Photos taken 2006 and 2024
Images 18*