Columbia County is named for “Columbia”, a poetic name for the United States of America that alludes to Christopher Columbus.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Lycoming County and Sullivan County
E – Luzerne County
S – Schuykill County
W – Northumberland County and Montour County
Created: March 22, 1813 
County Seat:
Danville 1813 – 1845
Bloomsburg 1845 – present
County Courthouse – Bloomsburg
Location: 35 West Main Street / Whitman Street
Built: 1889 – 1890
Style: Romanesque Revival
Architect: A S Wagner
Contractor: Mathias Shaffer
Description: The building faces south and is a three story dark red colored brick and brownstone structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Bloomsburg. The south front consists of three sections, a projecting bay on the east, a large square brick tower in the center rising six story with clock and a half octagon on the west side. There is a small arched porch over the entrance in the center section. The roof is hipped. The 1890 addition was a major reconstruction of the existing building. The courtroom is located on the second story. Alterations were made in 1939 and an addition constructed. The architect was John A Schell and the contractor was Nanicoke Construction. Alternations were made in 1970 to 1974. The architect was John A Schell.
History: The county was created in 1813 and Danville (now in Montour County) was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse and jail were brick structures built in 1816 on land conveyed by Daniel Montgomery and William Montgomery. The county seat was moved to Bloomsburg in 1847. The second courthouse was designed by Napoleon LeBrun and built in 1847 to 1848. An addition was added in 1868. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1889 to 1890 when large addition was constructed on the front of the existing courthouse.
County Courthouse – Bloomsburg
Photos taken 2006 and 2015