History+of+the+Henry+County+Courthouse

Original Author: Lindsey Patton, ENG206 SP11 Revision Author:
 * A History of the Henry County Courthouse **


 * Location of Henry County **

Henry County was once a part of the Northwest Territory, held by the French by right of discovery by French Priests; Fathers Joliet, Marquette, La Salle, and Tonti (Kiner 9). In 1825 Henry County was organized; this organization was originated by Major James M. Allan (Kiner 11, 14). The Henry County Courthouse is located in the current county seat, Cambridge, Illinois. Henry County is located in the fourteenth judicial circuit (third appellate district). Henry County is surrounded by Rock Island county to the northwest, Knox County to the south, and Whiteside County to the northeast. It is named in honor of Patrick Henry of the Revolutionary War, to whom the slogan "give me liberty, or give me death" is attributed. As of 2000, the population was 51,020.


 * County Seats **

Early settlers of Henry County changed the location of the county seat so many times that author Henry Kiner writes in his book __History of Henry County, Volume 1__, “I hope the good readers of this history may never have such a job to find the county seat, as Henry county had” (Kiner 260). The first county seat was Richmond. George Harris was given land in Richmond to build a hotel and a courthouse; he built them both in 1837 though neither was fully finished (Kiner 27). In January 1839 Harris was instructed to build a jail, but a disastrous event would interfere with his construction and lead to the relocation of the county seat. In April of that year, the Richmond hotel caught on fire and soon all that was left in this new town was a stable (Kiner 28). It was decided that Morristown would be the new county seat (Kiner 30). The location of this county seat was not satisfactory to the residents of the county and a petition was started to relocate, once again, to Cambridge (Kiner 80). Cambridge has been the place of all court sessions since May 1844 (Kiner 95).


 * Court House Moves to Cambridge **

The land on which the town of Cambridge now stands was, prior to the year 1843, owned by Rev. Ithamar Pillsbury of Andover (Kiner 80). When the site received legislative sanction, Pillsbury deeded about thirty-six acres to the Board of County Commissioners. The town was laid out with two squares, Court Square and College Square, and at the suggestion of Jospeh Tillson, the town was named Cambridge. The current building was constructed by Thomas W. Carey and George Brandenburg in 1841. In 1843 the building was carried by ox teams and was moved from Morristown, to Cambridge (Kiner 81). In May 1844 the first court sessions were held in the new county seat. The building went through a period of reconstruction for the next few decades, and the finished product of the building we see today, a $77,000 victorian structure of brick and stone, was completed on September 18, 1880. It features sixteen fireplaces, a mural on the first floor and oak woodwork trimmed in black walnut is featured throughout the building.


 * First Election Held in Henry County **

On June 19, 1837 the first election was held at Brandenburg’s Tavern in Dayton to elect three county commissioners, a sheriff, a corner, a surveyor, and a recorder. Around 60 voters participated in this first election of county officials (Kiner 17-18).


 * Early Events **

Because the courthouse was one of the very first buildings in the new town of Cambridge, it served many purposes. The circuit and county courts were held there, it was used as a schoolhouse, all of the religious denominations held their meetings there, as well as all lectures and political meetings.

The first criminal indicted in Henry County was John Porter for counterfeiting. This was before the move of the county seat to Cambridge, and before there was a jail to house the criminals; Porter was kept in a stable (Kiner 12). The first trial by jury was The People vs. Hiram Pearce for disturbing the peace, though it is unknown what he disturbed or how (Kiner 12).

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">In the original courthouse, there was no room built for the jury to assemble. They often retired to a hay-stack or a nearby tree and carried on their deliberations. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">The courthouse has been the setting of many interesting events. During its reconstruction in the late 1800s, the new building witnessed a scandal. Erik Janson, the leader of the Bishop Hill Colony was murdered on May 13, 1850 at the courthouse in Cambridge by a former follower, John Root. Also, the first county fair, and the succeeding three fairs, was held by the agricultural society in the courtyard October 5 and 6, 1853. Rooms in the courthouse were used for the display of what we would call today 4-H projects; textile fabrics, flowers, vegetables, and other crafts.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Historical Importance **

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">The Henry County Courthouse is important not only for serving its purpose of being home to the local court of law, it also brings in revenue for the town of Cambridge as people come to do business or simply to visit the courthouse. It has became an important landmark to Henry County and in 2004 it was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. It also houses many employees; there are around ten departments which include numerous employees. Terry Patton, the Henry County States Attorney, has worked at the Cambridge courthouse since 1996. He agrees that the building is of historical importance to Cambridge and to the county. He states that the local schools often take field trips to come see the building, as well as foreign visitors and other guests. He enjoys seeing people interested in our history and is proud that the courthouse is a special part of our community.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">A List of Henry County Firsts **

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Town: Dayton <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Election: Dayton, June 9, 1837 <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">County Commissioner’s Court: P.K. Hanna, Thomas Pillsbury, and John Browning <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Sheriff: Robert McCullough <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Coroner: R.R. Stewart <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Recorder: Joshua Harper <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Surveyor: Arba M. Seymour <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">County and Circuit Clerk: James McAllan <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Treasurer: Chas. Atkinson <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Newspaper: I.S. Hyatt, Geneseo Republic 1856 <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Doctor: Thomas Baker <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Wedding: J.P. Dodge & Samantha Colbert, February 7, 1836 <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Lawyer: Samuel P. Brainard <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Term Circuit Court: Richmond, 1839 <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Case in Circuit Court: Job Searls vs. Moses T. Stimson <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Criminal Indicted: John Porter, counterfeiting <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">(Kiner 36-37)

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">“The all-important fact about Cambridge is that it is the county seat. Here estates are settled, lines drawn, matters of moment adjudicated, differences adjusted, crazy persons told what ails them...How important that the right kind of men are beneath the dome of the courthouse! Men of heart, of honor, upright men, who hearken to the unvoiced appeal of the widowed and the fatherless! Cambridge is in the best location for the shire town” ( Kiner 455).

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">The Henry County Courthouse is located at 307 West Center Street, Cambridge, IL. More information about Henry County and the courthouse can be found at: <span style="color: #000043; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">[|http://www.henrycty.com] <span style="color: #000043; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">[|http://www.visithenrycounty.com]

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">History of Henry County, Illinois: It's Taxpayers and Voters; Containing Also, a Biographical Directory, a Condensed History of the State; Map of the County; a Business Directory ... Etc. Chicago: H.F. Kett, 1877. Print. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Kiner, Henry L. History of Henry County, Illinois, Volume 1. Pioneer Pub., 1910. Print.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Works Cited **

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