Wyandot County’s third and current courthouse was constructed from 1899-1900. Designed by the firm of Yost & Packard, architects of courthouses in Wood, Harrison, and other counties, the building is a notable example of Beaux-Arts Classicism. Its third-floor courtroom was featured in the 1994 motion picture “The Shawshank Redemption,” based on a Stephen King novella, after director-screenwriter Frank Darabont chose it for the movie’s opening scenes. The film featured Academy Award-winning actors Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, and many courtroom extras were Wyandot County residents. A time capsule inside Lady Justice atop the dome contains a copy of the movie, commemorating ‘Shawshank’ enthusiasts who supported the statue’s 2009 restoration. A restoration of the building was completed in 2015, and the courthouse and adjacent jail were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
