Jefferson County is named for Thomas Jefferson, who was President of the United States from 1801 to 1809, an American revolutionary leader and author of the Declaration of Independence.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Marion County
E – Wayne County and Hamilton County
S – Franklin County
W – Perry County and Washington County
Created: March 26, 1819 
County Seat:
Mount Vernon 1819 – present
County Courthouse – Mount Vernon
Location: 100 10th Street / Main Street
Built: 1939 – 1941
Style: Art Deco
Architect: William R McCoy of McCoy and Wilson
Contractor: J M Stover and other local trades
Description: The building faces south and is a three story gray colored stone structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Mount Vernon. The south front has three vertical sections dived by stone pillars and with doorway in the centre and a large window on the east and west section on the first story, and large windows in each panel on the second story. Above the doorway is a clock. The third story is recessed. The building has square lines with sections protruding from the main building. The roof line is flat. In the interior, the walls of the main hallway contain beautiful hand-painted depictions of the Jefferson County Courthouses through the years. The artwork was created by Mt. Vernon’s long-time resident and artist, the late Bob Troutt. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 2nd Judicial Circuit. The building was constructed under the Works Progress Administration. The architect was William R McCoy of McCoy and Wilson and the contractor was J M Stover and other local trades.
See: The 2nd Judicial District includes Crawford County, Edwards County, Franklin County, Gallatin County, Hamilton County, Hardin County, Lawrence County, Richland County, Wabash County, Wayne County and White County.
History: The county was created in 1819 and Mount Vernon was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a log building built in 1819 at a cost of $160. The building collapsed and was replaced by the second courthouse a two story square brick structure at a cost of $781 in 1840. The courthouse burned in 1869 and the third courthouse was built in 1871 but was destroyed by a tornado in 1888. The fourth and previous courthouse was designed by J W Geddis and constructed by Bippes & Kanzeier in 1889, and was replaced by the fifth and present courthouse in 1939 to 1941 at a cost of $300,000.
See: Illinois Appellate Court – Mount Vernonis located in the county.
County Courthouse – Mount Vernon
Cotnerstone from 1889 County Courthouse
Photos taken 2007, 2008 and 2012