Effingham Convention and Visitors Bureau

HistoryRich in historyEffingham County CourthouseThe historic Effingham County Courthouse was built in 1871, on the siteof the 1850’s courthouse, which tragically burned to the ground in March1869, reducing most of the county’s records to ash.The courthouse, located on the square in downtown Effingham, was thefourth one built in Effingham County and is listed on the National Registerof Historic Places. The historical structure was built in Second Empire styleand is made of brick, stone and wood with 18-inch outside walls. Specialfeatures of the building are stone window headers with keystones aboveeach window and a mansard roof with dormers.The building was the working courthouse for Effingham County up until2007, when Effingham County constructed a new courthouse two blockswest of this structure.Monuments recognizing the history of the city and county can also beviewed on the lawn surrounding the historic courthouse. Over the years,there have been severaltheories on how Effinghamwas named. One suggests itwas to honor Lord Effingham,a British noble, who resignedhis commission rather thantake up arms against thecolonies in the RevolutionaryWar. A monument to LordEffingham stands on thenortheast corner of thecourthouse square. Thesouthwest corner of thesquare is dedicated tohonoring war veteransof WWI, WWII, Korea andVietnam.The courthouse is the siteof special events, includingthe Artisan Fair and OldFashion Christmas.For more information, call800-772-0750.45