McHenry County is named for General William McHenry, who fought in the War of 1812 and the Black Hawk War, and who served in several General Assemblies.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Walworth County, Wisconsin and Kenosha County, Wisconsin
E – Lake County
S – Cook County, Kane County and DeKalb County
W – Boone County
Created: January 16, 1836 
County Seat:
McHenry 1837 – 1843
Woodstock 1843 – present
County Courthouse – Woodstock
Location: 2200 North Seminary Avenue / Russell Court
Built: 1971 – 1972
Style: Modern
Architect: Johnson, Kile, Seehausen and Associates of Rockford
Contractor: Tonyan Construction of McHenry
Description: The building faces southwest and is three story brick, concrete and glass structure. The main entrance at the southwest corner has a round four story tower clad with dark red colored facing and flanked by light red colored brick, and with large glass windows on the second and third stories. The rest of the building is a sand colored brick, with windows grouped between solid wall space. Horizontal light red colored bands define each story. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 22nd Judicial Circuit. The building was expanded in 1990. The architect was Legat Architects and HOK and the project manager was Jerome E Olsen.
Old County Courthouse – Woodstock
Location: 101 North Johnson Street / West Jackson Street
Built: 1857 – 1858
Style: Italianate
Architect: John Mills Van Osdel
Contractor: John Mills Van Osdel
Description: The building faces east and is a two story red colored brick structure. The main east entrance is in the east wing. A horizontal white colored stone band encircles the building at the first story. There is white colored stone above each window. Atop the building is a white colored octagonal dome with flagpole. The building now contains an art gallery and a restaurant. To the east is the Public Square and on the north side is the Old County Sheriff House and Jail built in 1887.
County Courthouse – Woodstock
Old County Courthouse – Woodstock
Photos taken 2007 and 2011