Shelby County is named for Isaac Shelby, who was the first Governor of Kentucky and who defeated the British at the Battle of Kings Mountain during the Revolutionary War.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Macon County and Moultrie County
E – Moultrie County, Coles County and Cumberland County
S – Effingham County and Fayette County
W – Montgomery County and Christian County
Created: January 23, 1827 
County Seat:
Shelbyville 1827 – present
County Courthouse – Shelbyville
Location: 301 East Main Street / North Washington Street
Built: 1879 – 1882
Style: Victorian-Gothic
Architect: O H Placey of Lincoln, Nebraska
Contractor: Thomas Caldwell and Hugh Caldwell, of Ottawa
Description: The building faces south and is a two story dark red colored brick and stone structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Shelbyville. The south front of the rectangular shaped building has an arched entrance on the first story and two Grecian statues representing the Goddesses of Liberty and Justice, in niches above the entrance. On each corner are square brick towers with arched windows and steep roofs with parapet at the top. On the center of the roof is an octagonal tower with steep roof and parapet at the top. In the second story courtroom is the Robert Root painting of the Lincoln-Thornton debate.
See: The architect, O H Placey of Lincoln, designed the courthouse in Nebraska in Washington County.
See: The 4th Judicial District includes Christian County, Clay County, Clinton County, Effingham County, Fayette County, Jasper County, Marion County and Montgomery County.
History: The county was created in 1827 and Shelbyville was selected as the county seat. The county commissioners first met at the home of Barnet Bone. The first courthouse was a two story log structure built by Willian Hall in 1827 to 1828 at a cost of $110. The second courthouse was a two story structure built in 1832 at a cost of $1,094. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1879 to 1882 at a cost of $70,000.
County Courthouse – Shelbyville
Photos taken 2008