Coles County - American Courthouses

Coles County is named for Edward Coles, who was the second Governor of the State of Illinois from 1822 to 1826.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Douglas County

E – Edgar County and Clark County

S – Cumberland County

W – Shelby County and Moultrie County

Created: December 25, 1830

County Seat:

Charleston 1831 – present

County Courthouse – Charleston

Location: 651 Jackson Avenue / 6th Street

Built: 1898 – 1899

Style: Richardsonian Romanesque

Architect: Cornelius W Rapp

Contractor: S S Coehring and R R Fuller

Description: The building faces north and is a two story yellow colored rough sandstone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Charleston. The entrances on each side have three stone trimmed arches on the first story. Above are large arched windows on the second story with a peaked roof above. On each corner are large square stone towers with peaked roofs. On the center of the roof rises a tall square clock tower with peaked roof. The interior corridor floors are tile and the wainscoting is polished granite. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 5th Judicial Circuit.

See: National Register of Historic Places – Coles County Courthouse

See: The 5th Judicial District includes Clark County, Cumberland County, Edgar County and Vermilion County.

History: The county was created in 1830 and Charleston was selected as the county seat in 1831. The first court met at the home of Charles Eastin. The first courthouse was a log structure built in 1832. The second courthouse was a two story structure built by Leander Munsell in 1835 and enlarged in 1858 and 1866. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1898 to 1899.