Shelby County Courthouse - Sidney, Ohio
Posted by: Mr. 0
N 40° 17.095 W 084° 09.373
16T E 741749 N 4463261
Built in 1881, the Shelby County Courthouse stands in downtown Sidney, Ohio.
Waymark Code: WM1YWH
Location: Ohio, United States
Date Posted: 08/05/2007
Views: 95
The Shelby County Courthouse was built in 1881 to replace an older courthouse that stood here. The previous courthouse was a plain brick building that was painted white with green blinds. Over time residents felt a newer and nicer courthouse was in order.
The old courthouse was torn down and the current one was built. The demand for a new one was partly fueled by Ohio's "great county courthouse drive" around that time. Ohio saw a great number of large beautiful courthouses being constructed during the mid to late 1800's. Shelby County's courthouse is modeled after the Licking County courthouse in Newark, Ohio. The outside is mostly sandstone which was delivered from quarries in Piqua and Berea Ohio. The sandstone, limestone, and marble used in construction was brought to Sidney by canal boat. Original estimates put the cost of construction around $140,000, but the final costs were closer to $200,000. This courthouse is considered one of the nicest in the U.S. and was part of a 1977 traveling exhibition which included 124 courthouses nationwide.