The Stephenson County Courthouse, located on Courthouse Square in Freeport, is the

county courthouse A courthouse or court house is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English-spe ...

serving Stephenson County,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

. The present courthouse was built in 1975, replacing a historic courthouse built on the site in 1870. Elijah E. Myers, who went on to design three state capitols, designed the 1870 courthouse in the

Second Empire Second Empire may refer to: * Second British Empire, used by some historians to describe the British Empire after 1783 * Second Bulgarian Empire (1185–1396) * Second French Empire (1852–1870) ** Second Empire architecture, an architectural styl ...

style; the building, which featured a mansard roof and a projecting entrance pavilion, was Myers' only Second Empire work. The 1870 courthouse was 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 ...

in 1974, but it was demolished later that year as insufficient for the county's needs; despite its demolition, it remains listed on the National Register. The present courthouse was completed the following year, though by 2008, it was also reported to have insufficient space for the county's needs.

References

Courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois County courthouses in Illinois Second Empire architecture in Illinois Government buildings completed in 1870 Government buildings completed in 1975 National Register of Historic Places in Stephenson County, Illinois Buildings and structures in Stephenson County, Illinois {{StephensonCountyIL-NRHP-stub