The Old Courthouse (Woodstock, Illinois)

 university, courthouse, arts centre, listed building / architectural heritage, movie / film / TV location

Once the seat of McHenry County, the Old Courthouse on the Woodstock Square was built in 1857. Famous labor activist and presidential candidate Eugene V. Debs was in inmate in the jail in 1894 for his participation in the Pullman labor strike (he was relocated from a Chicago jail). County offices were moved to a new facility in northern Woodstock in the 1970s, and the building has housed a museum, art galleries and restaurants since. One of the most famous is being the location of the unnamed bar visited by Phil Connors in the 1993 film "Groundhog Day". After years of maintenance neglect, The City of Woodstock recently took possession of the building to rehab and equip it for the future, and to preserve its historic character and stately presence in downtown Woodstock.