The Clinton County Courthouse was dedicated October 22, 1919. Designed by the Cincinnati firm of Weber, Werner and Adkins, it is a local masterpiece fusing the Beaux-Arts and Neo-Classical architectural styles. A grand marble staircase rises from the basement to the second floor, and at the center of its cruciform plan is a dome 32 feet in diameter with a stained-glass window. Beneath the dome, murals of four women representing Agriculture, Education, Medicine, and Industry are known as the Guardians of the Courthouse. The county built the courthouse and former jail for a combined cost of nearly $370,000. Clinton County was established on February 19, 1810 and named for George Clinton, vice president of the United States under both Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Wilmington, the seat of government, was located near the center of the county on land donated by David Faulkner and Joseph Doan. The county had two previous courthouses, on the northwest corner of Main and South streets, built in 1813 and 1838-'39, respectively. The 1919 courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 as part of the Wilmington Commercial Historic District.