The Effingham County Cultural Center and Museum is a historic building and museum located in Effingham, the county seat of Effingham County, Illinois. Built in 1871, the building was originally the Effingham County Courthouse.
Museum Mission The mission of the Effingham County Museum is to preserve our Historic Register structure, to collect artifacts from county history, and to use them both to educate our local and external communities, while immersed in the broader context of American history.
Effingham County demographics Effingham County, Illinois, covers 486 square miles and had a population of 34,668 people in the 2020 census. The city of Effingham Illinois is the county seat. There is one other city, Altamont. In addition, Effingham County has one town (Mason) and seven villages (Beecher City, Dieterich, Edgewood, Montrose, Shumway, Teutopolis, and Watson). There are 47 cemeteries. Each city, town, village and cemetery has a unique history for County Museum historians to investigate and highlight. There are five surrounding contiguous counties (Clay, Cumberland, Fayette, Jasper, and Shelby), with populations ranging from 10,450 (Cumberland and Jasper) to 21,488 people (Fayette).
The site The museum is located on the town square in the center of Effingham. It is owned and maintained by the county. It consists of approximately 1.9 acres bounded by East Washington Street to the north, East Jefferson Street to the south, 3rd Street to the west, and 4th Street to the east. It is set back about 100 feet from the street. Sidewalks extend from the north and south entrances, with the primary entrance located on the south end. East of the building is a parking lot, which has two accessible parking spaces near the side entrance. The lot extends to the accessible side entrance.McGuire, Anne, (2018). Conservation Assessment Report - Building, Effingham County Courthouse Museum, Effingham, Illinois. Conservation Assessment Program, Institute of Museum and Library Services, p. 3.
A pavilion with a flat cement floor was constructed to the northwest of the museum in 2025. It replaced a wood gazebo with steps that had been in the same general area.
Construction history The courthouse was started in 1870 and completed in 1871 at a cost of roughly $30,000. Its style is known as Second Empire, a style popular in the United States during the latter part of the nineteenth century, coming from France's Second Empire period of the late 18th century. There have been two minor changes to the exterior; in 1913 the bell tower was changed from the Second Empire style to a simple square with a pyramidal roof; and somewhat later the southeast exterior door was changed to permit handicapped access and a small porch roof was added to shelter the door.
In 2007, Effingham County constructed a new building, named the Effingham County Government Center, one block west of the 1871 courthouse, at which point the old courthouse was not longer used. Beginning in 2012, the old courthouse began use as a museum.
The building has been listed on the US National Register of Historic Places since September 1985.
Exterior architecture The exterior of the Effingham County Museum in Effingham, Illinois is composed primary of red brick, set on a rusticated stone basement, with an attic under a mansard roof and with a clock tower above all. The structure is roughly rectangular in shape. The north and south bays are set back, as are the north and south entrances. The building's corners are smooth stone quoining. The corner's edges are chamfered.
It appears that the stone may be sandstone at the foundation, and limestone elsewhere. The windows consist of individual and paired tall double-hung wood units, which are set into masonry arches. The second floor courtroom windows are taller than the others; this reflects the high ceiling of the courtroom itself. Round top wood double-hung windows are set into hooded dormers at the attic level. The basement windows in the foundation are aligned with the windows above them.McGuire, Anne, ibid.
The shallow pitched roof and tower roof are surfaced with black synthetic rubber membrane material. The mansard roof and tower sides are clad in decorative roundwood shingles (circa 1980), which is a digression from the original tow-tone slate shingles which were installed in a banded pattern. The brick exterior appears to have been sandblasted at some point, and after that, stained red. The mortar joints have all been repainted. The smooth surface stone units have been coated with a cementitious layer, and all the exterior stone has been painted. All the original wood windows have been replaced in wood, with exterior metal-framed storm windows applied. Windows on the first and second level match the originals. The attic windows match the originals, with the exception of the curved bottom rails of the lower sash.
Interior architecture The first and second floors and the north and south bays of the attic floors are supported by exterior and interior masonry walls supporting wooden floor joists. The tall ceiling of the second floor courtroom and the attic floor above is supported by wooden trusses spanning the courtroom from north to south. The tower is all wood frame construction.
On the basement and first floor levels, the interior plan is laid out with a center hall that extends north-south, with stairs at each end and rooms along each side. On the second floor, the courtroom occupies the large center portion with stairs and ancillary rooms to the north and south. The multi-level attic floor contains ancillary rooms at the north and south, bordering spaces arranged between the trusses spanning the high courtroom below it. At the center of at the attic is a plaster dome in the courtroom ceiling, and directly below the tower.
Interior changes made by the county When occupied by the county, changes were made over the years. Those include a vault room on the first floor, elevator and new interior stairs to all the floors, major and minor changes to the courtroom and offices throughout, suspended ceilings with lay-in lighting, and new ductwork. At an unknown time, portions of the basement floor on the west end were lowered. Areas were separated with fire rated doors, including those on the first floor at the main hall that are on fusible link hold-open devices. Illuminated exit signs and emergency lighting were located throughout the building. The heating system was replaced with a heating and cooling unit. Electric service connection is below grade, and a bank of electric boxes with a meter is located to the side of the south entrance. A metered water service enters the building from the south.
Transition to a Museum The transition from left-behind-county-courthouse to county history museum began in earnest in July of 2010. On July 26, the President of the newly created non-profit entity (Effingham County Cultural Center and Museum Association, Inc.), and the Chair of the Effingham County Board signed a long-term lease agreement. At that point, the ECCCMA President verbalized the Association's determination to develop the building as an architecture gem, and to operate it in a way that would instill community pride and attract visitors. A Chicago, Illinois restorative architect, Dennis Langley, came to Effingham to demonstrate early support for the project. Mr. Langley had a personal tie to the community. His mother, Betty, had been employed in the Circuit Clerk's office when the structure was the county courthouse. One of his recommendation was to display a log from the National Road in a prominent place on the first floor.Grimes, Bill (August 7, 2010) "Architect Explores Courthouse Roots: Renowned Architect Returns Home to Help Historical Society Shape Museum" Effingham Daily News, p 1.
Progress during 2011-2012 Two major issues emerged in 2011-2012. Funding was essential to the success of the project and much of the group's 2011 effort was devoted to it.. Private donations from area individuals and businesses were the predominant sources. A preliminary estimate proposed that the conversion to a museum would cost $1.0 million. The volunteers chose to start with the first floor. Before they could begin, the second major issue had to be addressed, which was the removal of asbestos from the structure. Much of the funds gathered to date paid for that necessity.
In the interim, local historians prepared to preserve local history and artifacts. Two historians appeared before the Effingham County Board in July of 2011. They requested the return of original county records that were formerly stored in the old courthouse basement. The ledgers had been taken to Springfield, Illinois and microfilmed. The microfilms were sent to the nearest Illinois Regional Archive Depository (IRAD) in the Booth Library at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois. The historians' request was based on the premise that the original ledgers were themselves valuable artifacts, and they asked that the records be brought back to Effingham County for safe and secure storage in the new county building's basement. Museum volunteers also learned to manage incoming artifacts by way of a training conducted by Pat Miller, Executive Director of the Illinois Heritage Association. In August of 2012, a two-day lecture, discussion and basic hands-on practice workshop prepared the volunteers for handling, numbering, cataloguing, recording and storing objects from Effingham County's history. Funding was provided by Illinois Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Museum volunteers and their leader attracted regional and state-wise recognition. Delaine Donaldson, ECCCMA President, was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Illinois State Historical Society at their 2012 Annual Awards Program in East Peoria, Illinois on April 27,2012. The basis for the award was Mr. Donaldson's long tenure as a teacher and lecturer, as well as his efforts to salvage the old courthouse. In his words, "We saved it from becoming a parking lot. We are hoping to have it open by November."
That prediction came true. The first of a long series of historic lectures was hosted by the Effingham County Museum on November 8, 2012. Tom McDevitt, of Charleston, Illinois, was the speaker. He shared his memories from the time his father was the Effingham County Sheriff, and the family lived over the County Jail, on the second floor. Because the County Sheriff had an office in the courthouse, he had stories about the building and its staff as well.
2013-2014 changes A grand opening ceremony with a ribbon cutting was held in January 2013. At that point, the organization had 200 volunteers. Visitors toured one of the first galleries, which honored local veterans. Uniforms, bomb caps, V-letters, insignia, and photographs of World War II Effingham County soldiers were part of those exhibits. In a second gallery, a large HO railroad model delighted the children, while adults perused the train artifacts and photographs displayed on the walls.