Clinton County is named for DeWitt Clinton, who was a Governor of New York and an advocate for the construction of the Erie Canal.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Jackson County
E – Carroll County, Illinois, Whiteside County, Illinois and Rock Island County, Illinois
S – Scott County
W – Cedar County and Jones County
Created: December 21, 1837
County Seat:
Camache 1840
Vanderburg (DeWitt) 1840 – 1869
Clinton 1869 – present
County Courthouse – Clinton
Location: 612 North 2nd Street / 7th Avenue North
Built: 1896 – 1897
Style: Romanesque
Architect: G S Mansfield
Contractor: G S La Veille and C A Moses
Description: The building faces east and is a four story red colored sandstone and granite structure. The building is located on the landscaped grounds of the Courthouse Square in the center of Clinton. On the east front, the building has a one story portico having three stone arches on either side of a large arch and a flat stone roof. At each corner of the building are round towers with conical roofs. Each side has a projecting center section with fan window at the top and high gable at the roof line. On the center of the roof is a large square copper clock tower. The hipped roof has dormers. In the interior is a metal staircase ascending to the third story. The large County District Court courtroom is located on the along the south side of the third story and contains wood trim and a large mural above the judge’s bench. On the north side of the third story is a small County District Court courtroom. On the second story are two courtrooms. The building houses the County District Court of the 7th Judicial District and the Magistrate Court. The architect was G S Mansfield and the contractor was G S La Veille and C A Moses. On the west side is a two story red colored brick County Law Center which is attacked to the courthouse.
County Law Center – Clinton
Location: 241 7th Avenue North / North 3rd Street
Built: 2019 – 2021
Style: Modern
Architect: Shiver-Hattery Inc.
Contractor: The Samuels Group, Inc.
Description: The building faces north and is a two story red colored brick, glass and concrete structure. The building is located on the landscaped grounds of the Courthouse Square on the west side of the courthouse. The north front has a central semi-circular entrance. The second story is recessed. The roof line is flat. The building houses the Sheriff’s Office and the County Jail and is connected to the courthouse on the east side.
See: The 7th Judicial District includes Cedar County, Jackson County, Jones County, Muscatine County and Scott County.
History: The county was created in 1837 and Camache was selected as the county seat in 1840 when the county was organized. The court operated from hotels and private residences in Camache. In 1840 the county seat was moved to Vanderburg (Dewitt). The first courthouse was a wood structure donated in 1841 for use as the courthouse. A second courthouse was built in 1854 at a cost of $6,000. In 1869 the county seat was moved to Clinton and the third courthouse was a two story structure built in Clinton in the same year. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1896 to 1897 at a cost of $168,000. The County Law Center was constructed in 2019 to 2021 at a cost of $22,000,000.
County Courthouse – Clinton
County District Court courtroom
County District Court large courtroom
County Law Center – Clinton
Photos taken 2008 and 2024
Images 21*