Woodford County was carved out from other jurisdictions in 1843, and the new county selected a settlement called Versailles (not to be confused with Versailles, Illinois) as the initial county seat. In 1843 the county seat moved to Metamora, and in 1845-1846 the county constructed the brick Greek Revival courthouse used until 1894. The "Old Courthouse" was repeatedly used by Abraham Lincoln as a circuit lawyer of Central Illinois. The Lincoln-era courthouse has been preserved as a historic site, the Metamora Courthouse State Historic Site. It is no longer used as a courthouse.[2]
In 1894, the county electorate voted to move the county seat to Eureka, a town that was located on the Toledo, Peoria & Western Railroad. For its new home, in 1897-1898 the county taxpayers built the Classical Revival courthouse in use today. The cost of the replacement courthouse was $90,232. In a major addition in 1999-2001, the county built a Public Safety Facility attached to the north side of the classical structure. The additional footage houses correctional bed space and operational capabilities for the Woodford County Sheriff.[2]