Lawrence County’s courthouse completed in 1889 was the third on this site, following earlier courthouses built in 1824 and 1842. On May 21, 1886, the Lawrence County Board of Supervisors decided that the existing 44-year-old courthouse was too small and lacked fire protection for county records. They first hoped to renovate it, but soon concluded that it was beyond repair and began the process of building a new courthouse. After a fitful start, a contract was awarded to H.B. Trester, Jr., of Aurora, Indiana, for $29,500. In April 1889, about 1,000 onlookers attended the cornerstone-laying ceremony, and seven months later, on November 21, 1889, the Board of Supervisors received the new courthouse, which still stands. The second courthouse, built in 1842, was also the scene of the Elizabeth Reed murder trial of 1845; convicted of poisoning her husband, Reed was hanged on the outskirts of Lawrenceville, the only woman ever hanged in Illinois.