The document summarizes the history of the Iroquois County Courthouse in Watseka, Illinois from its construction in 1866 to renovations in 2014. It details the original construction and additions made in 1881, 1889, 1927, and 1962. It also outlines the displays and collections housed in the historic building after it was converted to a county historical museum in 1967. The courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and has undergone ongoing restoration efforts.

1. IRQ Cap 2014 Watseka, IL
Historic County Courthouse

2. Back Handicap entrance

3. PR downtown 1 blk away

4. Outside Picnic Grounds

5. Entrances

7. Security mirrors

8. Original Courthouse As Auditorium

10. Historic Building details
metal plate staircases, fixtures

11. Original Ventilation Tower
need a small screen in lower & upper area to draft

12. Iroquois County Historical Society Collection - Watseka
Timeline of Building Projects 1866- 2014
May 15, 1865: It was decided the county needed a new courthouse.
Micajah Stanley, an early settler, donated 8 lots for the building of a new
courthouse.
Jan. 2, 1866: Construction began. The new courthouse was to have two
vaults and a jail in the basement.
Nov. 1, 1866: It was completed at a cost of $28,000, which would be
equivalent to over $400,000 today.
1881: More room was needed, so an addition was added on the south end
with 14’ extensions on both sides. Upon completion, the cost of the
addition was $12,775.
1889: The original octagonal windowed dome had deteriorated badly. It
was replaced at a cost of $2,860 with a convex-roofed structure having 4
circular dormer windows.
1890: Central heating was installed, replacing individual stoves.
1893: A new jail was built at the southeast corner of 3rd and Cherry
Streets, thus replacing the jail facilities previously used in the basement of
the courthouse.
1895: Waterlines were laid to the building, and restrooms were put in the
basement. Electricity was also installed at this time.
1903: A fire occurred in the county clerk’s office. Records were preserved,
as they had been stored in the vault. Repairs to the damage caused by the
fire cost $6107.
1927: A second addition on the south end was completed at a cost of
$38,000. It contained office space and enlargements to two older storage
vaults. The additions provided a total of 45 rooms. (mm11/12/13) At the
same time, the no longer needed chimneys were removed.
1928: The dome was again replaced, this time with one that had concave-
sloped sides that matched the contours of the roof. The dome is the
current one.
1962: The Katharine Clifton estate left land to the county for the
construction of a new jail and courthouse.
1965: The new Iroquois County Courthouse opened.
1967: After the old courthouse had fallen into disrepair for three years, a
group of concerned individuals formed the Iroquois County Historical Society
and restored the old courthouse as a county historical museum.
June 13, 1975: The Old Courthouse was registered as a Historic Place by the
U. S. Department of the Interior.
1975, Listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the Department
of Interiors
1976 Survey
1989 AASLH Survey of Collections
1990 Wood Storage shelving and rods were installed in the vault collections
storage and some of the ledgers and dockets always in the vault were
moved to storage so they had some collections space.
2002 New sidewalks Town of Watseka,
2005- improved Museum storage and display conditions
2004-2014 Building Changes: painting inside & out, roof repair, soffit &
gutter repair, broken tower window closed with plexiglass, electric wire
replacement, broken window glass replaced
2004-2014 Collections Changes- “items moved from cardboard boxes
to plastic storage bins, quilts placed in white cotton cases, photos placed in
file cabinets & being organized,
2014 new cement slab laid over front entrance
2013-14 new Historic- Style front doors planned & purchased for two North
entrance doors
2014 CAP Smithsonian Grant acquired, Spring visit from a conservator to
determine a 10 year plan for their concerns from IMLS – Inter-Museum
Support Grants- Federal Funding

13. Parlor With Case Of Enameled Glass

14. Kitchen For Use & Display
With Glass Canning Jar & Dinnerware Collections

15. School Room & regional photos

16. Music Rm With Relief Maps Outside

17. Military Open Storage Exhibit

18. Military Vignettes

19. Ca. 1900 Laybourn Rm
With Period Strip Rug Carpet

20. Interdenominational Chapel
the Christian portrait could be moved further back ,
that is why its not photographed

21. Rock Exhibit

22. Office Display With Dictionary Stand

23. Back Parlor
With Vacuum Cleaner Collection

24. Back Kitchen Display Area

25. 1st fl Nature Room
Taxidermy, Minerals, shells

26. But wait, there is more – Basement Displays

27. Basement / Lower Level Sports Rm

29. Taxidermy Rm 2

30. General Store- Post office

31. Hat Shop

32. Tools & Corn Rm

33. Farming Display this is actually a bit underlit in areas
and could use 2 smaller units instead of one.

34. And a Jail,
so almost anything you can imagine

35. A few of my favorites , the multi-roll map in orig. co.

36. The yarn wreath & relief maps are special.

37. Thank you for taking care of these historic objects.
Jennifer Hein
http://www.slideshare.net/JenniferHein /
Google- Jennifer Hein & textiles or flags
http://www.linkedin.com/ JenniferHein
Museum Studies - Preservation, Exhibition & Storage Techniques.
ISM Preservation Conservator for a collection of 300,000 cultural history objects for 7
years , then in the next 10-15 years as a part-time advisor to several groups concurrently.
35 Historic Sites in 8 states to produce long term conservation plans through the
IMLS CAP Smithsonian Grant program.
conservatour@msn.com you can email me with ideas as long as you
wish.