The landmark Washington County Courthouse, completed in 1816 and the only courthouse in Kentucky still used as a seat of justice, is located on Main Street in Springfield, KY. The courthouse was originally designed and constructed as a "fine Georgian brick building". The cupola topping the structure was added in 1840, and in 1918, the two colonial porches were added to the front and west sides.

Among the records dating to 1792, the Washington County Courthouse contains the Marriage Bond of Nancy Hanks and Thomas Lincoln and the Ministers Certificate of Return signed by Minister Jesse Head. The importance of these two documents has often been overlooked through the years because few people realize when the President was assassinated, he had searched but never found proof of his parents marriage. In 1858, after inquiries about Lincoln's nativity, parentage and ancestry, a search was done in the records in Hardin County, Kentucky. Then 13 years after the President's death, two descendants of Nancy Hanks, Mr. R.M. Thompson and Mr. William Hardesty, urged Washington County Clerk Wm. F. Booker to examine his office records. After a long and exhausting search, the records were found proving Nancy Hanks and Thomas Lincoln did marry on June 12, 1806, and the minister performing the ceremony was Jesse Head.

Lincoln Sculpture Updates The City of Springfield is proud to announce that Paula B. Slater of Hidden Valley Lake, California has been awarded the commission to produce the Sculpture of Abraham Lincoln to will be placed in front of the new Washington County Judicial Center that will be completed in late 2008. Please read the press release available on this Web site for more information. To learn more about Paula Slater and her work, please visit her website at www.paulaslater.com. Click here to view the final site design plan.