Lycoming County was created in 1795.

After a caustic battle between the old frontier town of Jaysburg (now part of the Newberry section of the city) and co-founder Michael Ross’s swampy upstart town of Williamsport, the latter took the title of County Seat.

County Judge (and co-founder) William Hepburn convinced Ross to offer lots of his property to the state commissioners for the building of a county courthouse and jail, ultimately making Hepburn’s property (“Deer Park,” on the opposite shore of Jaysburg) more desirable.

Accepting the lots, the commissioners delayed construction of a courthouse and jail until 1799. Construction began in 1800, and the jail was finally opened in 1801. Nearly a decade after Williamsport was named the county seat, Williamsport’s first courthouse, built by John Turk and Edward Gobin using the plans of the courthouse in Dauphin County, was finished in 1804.

Williamsport’s second court house was built in 1860 (Architect Samuel Sloan) and the present court house in 1970. 

“THE COURT ROOM” (Room 108) boasts a very fascinating feature:  the stately old vault, once used by the Treasurer at Old City Hall, is now utilized as the toilet/shower room.

Our new “LEGACY” rooms are quite unique with their large windows, soft colors, and “outside-the-box” layouts.  Private toilet/shower rooms are brightly lit as well, and the original charm and character of this old city hall adds to the beauty of each room. These new rooms also share a small foyer along with a private conference room (code-accessible), called “THE HANGAR.”