Shelby County is named for Isaac Shelby, who was a general in the American revolutionary War and the War of 1812, and who served as the first governor of Kentucky.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Crawford County
E – Audubon County
S – Cass County and Pottawattomie County
W – Harrison County
Created: January 15, 1851 
County Seat:
Shelbyville 1855 – 1859
Harlan 1859 – present
County Courthouse – Harlan
Location: 612 Court Street / 7th Street
Built: 1892 – 1893
Style: Romanesque
Architect: Charles E Bell of Minneapolis, Minnesota
Contractor: W H Cockerell
Description: The building faces south and is a two story buff stone structure. The south front has a projecting archway with recessed entrance on the first story. The east and west sections project from the building and have peaked roof lines. White colored stone trim runs below the central roof line with small dormer above. The building houses the County District Court of the 4 Judicial District. The dome was removed in 1899. The contractor was Larsen Brothers.
See: The architect Charles E Bell of Minneapolis, Minnesota designed many courthouses.
See: The 4th Judicial District includes Audubon County, Cass County, Fremont County, Harrison County, Mills County, Montgomery County, Page County and Pottawattamie County.
History: The county was created in 1851 and Shelbyville was selected as the county seat in 1855. The county seat was moved to Harlan in 1859. The first courthouse was built in 1860 and the second courthouse was built at a cost of $4,250. The third and and present courthouse was constructed in 1855 to 1859 at a cost of $62,734.
County Courthouse – Harlan
Photos taken 2008