A referendum to restore the main courtroom of the Ogle County Courthouse in Oregon to its original two-story appearance will be on the county election ballot in November. The question before voters is:

“Shall the Ogle County Courthouse, originally built in 1891, be restored in such a manner as to include removal of a portion of the third floor on the north side of the courthouse, thus restoring the original courtroom to its original height?”

A Save the Ogle Courtroom Committee collected 1,692 signatures on its petition to place the referendum on the general election ballot.

The committee has enlisted the help of the Ogle County, Lee County and Whiteside County Bar Associations in its effort to publicize the effort.

The estimated cost of $80,000 for the third-floor portion of the total remodeling project will be derived from county landfill host fees dedicated to restoration and capital improvements.

The committee is at odds with the county board, which the concerned citizens believe “wants to do an inaccurate, incomplete restoration that will not do justice to this historic room.”

The initiative includes public speaking, distributing flyers, providing “Vote YES!” yard signs, and selling “Restore the Courtroom” T-shirts.

An informative Web site at www.saveoglecourtroom.org is intended to explain the issues and display visual renderings of courtroom elevations. For information, call (815) 946-3544 or 732-7514.

The current “old” Ogle County Courthouse, which was constructed in 1890-91, was the third courthouse built in Oregon, the county seat.

The Romanesque Revival structure, designed by Chicago architect George O. Garnsey, has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1981. It was renovated in 1983 and has been open for tours.

The first courthouse, completed in 1840-41 for $4,000, was destroyed by fire on March 21, 1841, the night before the court was to hold its initial session.

Construction of the courthouse was a community response to harassment of citizens by a gang of thieves and murderers. After the fire, two of them were arrested by vigilantes and executed after brief trials.

The Ogle County Court convened in private residences for the next seven years, and proposals were made to move the country seat to a city that had a courthouse.

The second courthouse, a one-story brick building in Greek Revival style, was completed in 1848 at a cost of $3,000. It was soon outgrown, but replacement was opposed until 1891, when it was torn down for the third courthouse.

Dedicated Aug. 20, 1891, the $100,000 structure was the county judicial center until the fourth courthouse was completed across the street in August 2005.

As part of Oregon’s Commercial Historic District, the old courthouse is adjacent to an 1896 cast iron fountain dubbed “Iron Mike,” two Civil War cannons, a Soldiers’ Monument designed by Lorado Taft in 1911, and a War Memorial dedicated June 29, 1950, to veterans of several wars.