Butler County | US Courthouses

Butler County is named for Richard Butler, who was a general and who was killed at the Battle of Wabash in 1791.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Preble County and Montgomery County

E – Warren County

S – Hamilton County

W – Franklin County, Indiana and Union County, Indiana

Created: March 24, 1803

County Seat:

Hamilton 1807 – present

County Courthouse – Hamilton

Location: 101 High Street / Front Street

Built: 1885 – 1889

Style: Romanesque

Architect: David W Gibbs & Company

Contractor: Freeman Compton Contractors

Description: The building faces east and is a four story buff colored stone structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Hamilton. The east front has a porch supported by thin Ionic columns and with a balcony on the second story. The center section projects from the main building and rises to a pediment at the roof line with urn at the top. There are porches on each side and there is a mansard roof. On the center of the roof is a large octagonal clock tower. The original tower was once four-tiered, domed, and capped with a statue of Justice. This was destroyed in a fire in 1912 when the tower collapsed. It was replaced shortly thereafter with a massive tower and dome designed by local architect Frederick Mueller, but the dome was removed in 1926 after it was struck by lightning. The octagonal tower remains and contains a four-faced clock and is topped with eight spires around the top. In the interior, the lobby is illuminated by a skylight and contains a beautiful walnut double staircase. A balcony runs along the open hallway of the third story with arched portals to the offices around the exterior of the building. The building houses the County Court of Common Pleas – Probate Division and County Area II Court.

County Government Services Center – Hamilton

Location: 315 High Street / South 3rd Street

Built: 1997 – 1999

Style: Modern

Architect: Lorenz & Williams Associates

Contractor: Corporex & CPX

Description: The building faces north and is an eleven story concrete and glass structure. The building is called the Butler County Government Services Center. On the north front, the first and second stories have vertical dividers with glass paneling behind. The central entrance is recessed with stone facing. On the northeast corner is a semi-circular glass entrance with large lobby connected to the Hamilton City Hall on the east side. The third story has decorative trim. The west part has a light brown colored paneling and the east part is white colored paneling. The roof line is flat. The building houses the County Court of Common Pleas on the fifth story.

History: The county was created in 1803 and Hamilton was selected as the county seat. The first court met in July 1803 in a tavern before moving to a two-story military building located at what had been Fort Hamilton. The first courthouse was a two story stone structure built in 1806 to 1810. The second courthouse was a two story brick structure built by John E Scott in 1816 to 1817 at a cost of $10,000. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1885 to 1889 at a cost of $305,000. The Government Services Center was constructed in 1997 to 1999.

County Administration – Hamilton

Location: 130 High Street / North 2nd Street

Built: 1974 – 1976

Style: Modern

Architect: Steed Hammond Paul

Contractor: A Benzing & Sons Inc.

Description: The building faces south and is a seven story brown colored brick structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Hamilton on the north side of the courthouse. The roof line is flat.

See: Located in the county is the Ohio Court of Appeals – Middletown ( 12th Appellate District ).