Bureau County is named for Pierre de Bureau, who was a French trader with the Indians.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Whiteside County and Lee County
E – La Salle County and Putnam County
S – Putnam County, Marshall County and Stark County
W – Henry County
Created: February 28, 1837 
County Seat:
Princeton 1837 – present
County Courthouse – Princeton
Location: 700 South Main Street / Park Avenue
Built: 1936 – 1937
Style: Art Deco
Architect: Royer and Danley
Contractor: T S Willis
Description: The building faces east and is a two story light brown colored limestone and concrete structure. The building is located on the landscaped grounds of the Courthouse Square in the center of Princeton and is faced with polished limestone. The center of the east front of the square shaped building extends from the main building and has a square two story arch with recessed glass windows over the entrance doors. The roof line is flat. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 13th Judicial Circuit.
See: The architect Joseph W Royer of Urbana, Illinois designed courthouses in Illinois in Champaign County, Clay County, Douglas County, Ford County, Grundy County, Marion County, Piatt County and Richland County; in iowa in Linn County; and in Wisconsin in Douglas County.
See: The 13th Judicial Circuit includes Grundy County and La Salle County.
History: The county was created in 1837 and Princeton was selected as the county seat. Hampshire Colony Congregational Church on the southeast corner of the Courthouse Square was used for county business until the first courthouse was built by Alvah Whitmarsh in 1845. The courthouse was expanded with an addition built in 1866. The second and present courthouse was constructed in 1936 to 1937.
County Courthouse - Princeton
Photos taken 2007 and 2010