Morgan County is named for Daniel Morgan, who was a general who earned distinction during the American Revolution at Quebec and Saratoga.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Cass County
E – Sangamon County
S – Macoupin County and Greene County
W – Scott County, Pike County and Brown County
Created: January 31, 1823
County Seat:
Olmstead’s Mounds 1821 – 1825
Jacksonville 1825 – present
County Courthouse – Jacksonville
Location: 300 West State Street / North West Street
Built: 1868 – 1870
Style: French Renaissance / Italianate
Architect: Gurdon Paine Randall of Chicago
Contractor: Charles R Underwood of Shelbyville
Description: The building faces south and is a two story rough buff limestone structure. The building is located in the center of Jacksonville. The south front has wide steps leading up to three arched entrances with recessed doorway in the center. Above the arches is a double window on the second story with single arched windows on either side. Above that is the date 1868 with rounded roof. On the southeast and southwest corners are two large towers, with the southwest tower rising three stories to a steep mansard red colored roof. The building is constructed of limestone with every third tier running through the entire wall. The exterior rusticated stone blocks came from the quarries of Joliet. In the interior is a central hall divides the first story. The grand staircase on the east side leads up to the County Circuit Court courtroom along the south side the second story. The courtroom ceiling is a patterned pressed tin with a central rosette. At the center is a large chandelier. At the northwest side of the second story is a small courtroom. The building was restored in 2009. The architect was White & Borgognoni of St. Louis, Missouri and the contractor was Evans-Mason Inc. of Springfield.
See: The architect, Gurdon Paine Randall of Chicago also designed the courthouses in Montgomery County; and in Georgia in Bibb County; in Indiana in Benton County and Marshall County, and in Michigan in Menominee County.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Morgan County Courthouse
See: The 7th Judicial District includes Greene County, Jersey County, Macoupin County, Sangamon County and Scott County.
History: The county was created in 1823 and Olmstead’s Mounds was selected as the county seat. In 1825, the county seat was moved to Jacksonville. The first courthouse was a two story frame structure built in 1826 at a cost of $450. The courthouse burned on December 6, 1827. The second courthouse was built in 1830 at a cost of $4,000. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1868 to 1870 at a cost of $204,000.
County Courthouse – Jacksonville
County Circuit Court courtroom
County Circuit Court small courtroom
Photos taken 2007, 2012 and 2025
Images 16*