Bureau County is named for Pierre de Bureau, who was a French trader with the Indians.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Whiteside County and Lee County
E – LaSalle County and Putnam County
S – Putnam County, Marshall County and Stark County
W – Henry County
Created: February 28, 1837
County Seat:
Princeton 1837 – present
County Courthouse – Princeton
Location: 700 South Main Street / Park Avenue
Built: 1936 – 1937
Style: Art Deco
Architect: Royer and Danley
Contractor: T S Willis
Description: The building faces east and is a two story light brown colored limestone and concrete structure. The square shaped building is located on the landscaped grounds of the Courthouse Square in the center of Princeton. The building is faced with polished limestone. The center of the east front of the building extends from the main building and has a square two story arch with recessed glass windows over the entrance doors. The roof line is flat. In the interior, the first story hallway runs east-west. The large County Circuit Court courtroom is located at the center of the second story. The small County Circuit Court courtroom is located on the south side of the first story. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 13th Judicial Circuit.
Note: In 1936, in order to qualify for federal aid, the courthouse had to be remodeled, not rebuilt. To get around the rules, a new courthouse was built around the existing vault. Everything was torn down except the vault but the remodeling cost was $225,000.
See: The architect Joseph W Royer of Urbana, Illinois designed courthouses in Illinois in Champaign County, Clay County, Douglas County, Ford County, Grundy County, Marion County, Piatt County and Richland County; in Iowa in Linn County; and in Wisconsin in Douglas County.
See: The 13th Judicial Circuit includes Grundy County and La Salle County.
History: The county was created in 1837 and Princeton was selected as the county seat. Hampshire Colony Congregational Church, a wood structure on the southeast corner of the Courthouse Square was used for county business until the first courthouse was built. In 1845 the first courthouse, a brick structure was built by Alvah Whitmarsh at a cost of $8,800. The second courthouse was an addition built on the east side of the first courthouse in 1865 to 1866 at a cost of $18,688. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1936 to 1937 at a total cost of $225,000.
County Courthouse – Princeton
County Circuit Court courtroom
County Circuit Court small courtroom
Photos taken 2007, 2010 and 2024
Images 20*