The Moultrie County Courthouse is the only site in

Moultrie County, Illinois Moultrie County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 United States Census, its population was 14,526. Its county seat is Sullivan. The name is pronounced as in "mole tree", unlike the pronunciation of its namesake, t ...

that is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. Located in the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of Sullivan, the courthouse has been listed since 1995.

History

Earlier courthouses

was first settled around 1820. By 1842, local residents wanted a more local representation in government. That Fall, residents presented a petition to the state government to form a new county out of parts of Shelby and Coles Counties. The county was officially formed on February 16, 1843; it was named after Col.

William Moultrie William Moultrie (; November 23, 1730 – September 27, 1805) was an American planter and politician who became a general in the American Revolutionary War. As colonel leading a state militia, in 1776 he prevented the British from taking Charle ...

. East Nelson was chosen as the first county seat, but residents could not agree on a suitable location for the courthouse. The county held a second election for county seat and Asa's Point, which would thenceforth be known as Sullivan, was chosen as the site. The first courthouse was built in 1847. It was destroyed in a fire on November 25, 1864. The next year, plans were made for a new courthouse, built with local materials. It was completed in 1866. In 1896, the north side of the courthouse was host to a

lynching Lynching is an extrajudicial killing by a group. It is most often used to characterize informal public executions by a mob in order to punish an alleged transgressor, punish a convicted transgressor, or intimidate people. It can also be an ex ...

. Grant Atteberry was imprisoned under accusations that he assaulted a local woman. An angry mob stormed the courthouse and demanded that the sheriff release the man to their custody. The sheriff agreed and the man was hanged from a tree on the northwest corner of the courthouse lawn.Illinois Historic Preservation Agency
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Present courthouse

By 1904, the courthouse was deemed too small for county needs and plans for a new courthouse were approved. Deal & Ginsel were selected as architects and H. B. Walters of

Danville, Illinois Danville is a city in and the county seat of Vermilion County, Illinois. As of the 2010 census, its population was 33,027. As of 2019, the population was an estimated 30,479. History The area that is now Danville was once home to the Miami, K ...

was appointed contractor. Work started some time between August and December 1904 and the courthouse was completed on August 6, 1906. Since its completion, the building has housed functions of county government. Its Circuit Courtroom has been a popular location for community functions because of its large size. From about 1907 to 1930, the courthouse was home to the Moultrie County Farmers' Institute, a popular three-day educational meeting co-sponsored by the University of Illinois College of Agriculture. The most noteworthy trial to take place was the embezzlement trial of Jimmy Steel and Z. B. Whitfield of the Merchants & Farmers State Bank in 1921. On April 20, 1995, the building was recognized by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

with a listing on the

References

{{Illinois county courthouses Buildings and structures in Moultrie County, Illinois County courthouses in Illinois Courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois Neoclassical architecture in Illinois National Register of Historic Places in Moultrie County, Illinois