Auglaize County , which proudly portrays it's courthouse on the front of its website, is typical among county courthouses. Most courthouses have a cupola which is ornate and stands taller than any other building in the community like the one in Fayette County . It used to be that the courthouses housed not only the courts but also all the county elected officials' offices and their staffs. Today, maybe as a sign of the largess of all government, its a rare courthouse that does house all of county government. Courthouses today, often, house only the courts with room for no one else.
Most courthouses are at the center of town.
Most likely, the downtown formed around the courthouse not the other way around. The exceptions are in Wood and Ottawa counties. Their courthouses are a few blocks off the main streets of what their cities' downtowns are today. Most courthouses are old. However, one of the newest true courthouses is also the most boring and that's in Champaign County .