Stephenson County is named for Benjamin Stephenson, who was the Adjutant General of the Illinois Territory from 1813 to 1814.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Lafayette County, Wisconsin and Green County, Wisconsin
E – Winnebago County
S – Ogle County and Carroll County
Created: March 4, 1837
County Seat:
Freeport 1837 – present
County Courthouse – Freeport
Location: 15 North Galena Avenue / East Stephenson Street
Built: 1973 – 1974
Style: Modern
Architect: Johnson, Kile and Seehaussen and Associates Inc.
Contractor: Cheeseman Construction Company, Inc.
Description: The building faces southwest and is a two story concrete, stone and glass structure. The building is located in the center of Freeport. Horizontal pillars support the outside of the building with the first story being recessed. The second story has few windows and large panels of buff colored concrete. The flat roof line is recessed and is a brown color. In the interior are four County Circuit Court courtrooms located on the second story. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 15th Judicial Circuit. Located at the southwest corner is the large Soldiers’ Monument erected in 1871.
Note: During construction the electrical contractor was Zimmerman Electric Company, the plumbing contractor was Mechanical Incorporated and the air conditioning contractor was Park Plumbing & Appliance Company.
See: The 15th Judicial Circuit includes Carroll County, Jo Daviess County, Lee County and Ogle County.
History: The county was created in 1837 and Freeport was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a frame structure built in 1840. The second courthouse was designed by E E Myers and constructed by A Walbaum Company in 1873. The building was torn down for the construction of the third and present courthouse in 1972 to 1974.
County Courthouse – Freeport
Soldier’s Monument
County Circuit Court courtroom
County Circuit Court courtroom
Photos taken by 2006, 2010 and 2024
Images 15*