Brown County is named for Jacob Brown, who was a soldier in the War of 1812, and later became the commanding general of the United States Army.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Schuyler County
E – Cass County and Morgan County
S – Pike County
W – Adams County
Created: February 1, 1839 
County Seat:
Mount Sterling 1839 – present
County Courthouse – Mount Sterling
Location: 200 Court Street / North Capitol Avenue
Built: 1866 – 1868 ./ 1939 – 1942
Style: Neo-Classical / Italianate
Architect: Danid House / Raymond G Johnson of Jacksonville
Contractor: Thomas Jones Smirl and Gibson of Jacksonville.
Description: The building faces south and is a two story reddish colored brick and concrete structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Mount Sterling. The south front has a high portico supported by four large white colored columns with the pediment at roof level. The windows are arched and a white colored cornice follows the roofline. The roof is hipped. In the interior, the courtroom is located on the second story. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 8th Judicial Circuit.The building was remodeled 1939 to 1942 after a fire largely destroyed the building. The architect was Raymond G Johnson of Jacksonville and the contractor was Smirl and Gibson of Jacksonville.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Mount Sterling Commercial Historic District
See: The 8th Judicial Circuit includes Adams County, Calhoun County, Cass County, Mason County, Menard County, Pike County and Schuyler County.
History: The county was created in 1839 and Mount Sterling was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a two story square shaped brick structure designed by Charles Howland and built by George Tebo in 1839 to 1843. The second courthouse was constructed in 1866 to 1868. The structure was rebuilt after a fire as the third and present courthouse in 1939 to 1942 at a cost of $16,572.
County Courthouse – Mount Sterling
Commissioner Minutes 1939 – contractor
Photos taken 2007 and 2012