Allegany County is named for Allegheny River, which name comes from the Lenape word “welhik” or “oolikanna”, which means “best flowing river of the hills’ or “beautiful stream”.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Wyoming County and Livingston County
E – Steuben County
S – Potter County, Pennsylvania and McKean County, Pennsylvania
Created: April 7, 1806 
County Seat:
Angelica 1806 – 1858
Belmont 1858 – present
County Courthouse – Belmont
Location: 7 Court Street / North Court Street
Built: 1937 – 1938
Style: Georgian
Architect: Carl C Ade
Contractor: Langford & Whitford.
Description: The building faces south and is a two story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Belmont. The central section of the south front extends from the main building and has six vertical white pillars with a wide horizontal header at the roof line. There is a wide cornice with balustrade along the flat roof line. The entrance on the first story has white trim with a small pediment at the top. The building houses the County Supreme Court, County Court, County Family Court and County Surrogate’s Court of the 8th Judicial District. During construction, the superintendent was James S Downie.
Old County Courthouse – Angelica
Location: 59 Park Circle
Built: 1819
Style: Federalist
Architect: Unknown
Contractor: Unknown
Description: The building faces north and is a two story gray colored brick structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds on the town circle in the center of Angelica. The building served as the first courthouse until 1858 and cintued as a courthouse until 1892. The building now serves as the Angelica Town Hall.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Old Allegany County Courthouse
See: The 8th Judicial District includes Cattaraugus County, Chautauqua County, Erie County, Genesee County, Niagara County, Orleans County and Wyoming County.
History: The county was created in 1806 and Angelica was declared as the county seat. The court met in private homes. The first courthouse was built in 1819 and is still standing. The county seat was moved to Belmont in 1858. The second courthouse was built in 1859 to 1860. The building was demolished in 1938. In 1892 Belmont became the sole county seat. The third courthouse was constructed in 1837 to 1938.
County Courthouse – Belmont
Old County Courthouse – Angelica
Photos taken 2010 and 2011