When oil and natural gas were discovered in Hancock County shortly thereafter, the Courthouse was given many of its unique and eclectic stylings.

[2] On April 17, 1885 the Ohio Legislature authorized the construction of a new courthouse for Hancock County, raising $100,000 in bonds.

[3] On May 30, 1913 the bathtub of Captain Charles Dwight Sigsbee recovered from the shipwreck of the USS Maine was publicly displayed for the first time at the Hancock County Courthouse.

The clock faces and inner works were constructed by the E. Howard & Co.[2] During the 1990s the courthouse underwent an extensive $3 million restoration.

Also the ornately tiled floors, floral motif stained glass, and the imposing early Victorian woodwork is original.