The Stutsman County Courthouse Is The Oldest And One Of The Rarest In North Dakota
By Leah|Published January 25, 2021
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Leah
Author
Leah moved to North Dakota when she was 12 years old and has traveled from the Red River Valley to the badlands and many places in between. She loves small-town life and currently enjoys living on a small farm in the ND prairie. She's always had a passion for writing and has participated in novel writing challenges such as NaNoWriMo multiple times. Her favorite part about this job is recognizing small businesses that deserve a boost and seeing the positive affect her articles can have on their traffic, especially in rural areas that might have otherwise gone overlooked.
Did you know that the oldest courthouse in North Dakota is older than the state itself? Now a historic site, this building is over 135 years old and it’s pretty special for multiple reasons. Its beautiful architecture is just one of the few reasons to check it out – which, by the way, is possible thanks to the site now being listed as a historic place. Tour this fascinating place and see why it’s one of the most important parts of North Dakota’s history.
Located in Jamestown, North Dakota, the Stutsman County Courthouse stands tall and proud. This beautiful building was erected in 1883, predating the state by 6 years.
What's unique about this structure is not just that it's the oldest surviving courthouse in the state, but also the building style. It's only one of two courthouses built in this "Gothic Revival" style in ND. Plus, the intricately-detailed pressed tin lining the walls of the interior is one of the largest collections of antique pressed tin in the entire Midwest.
If that's not enough reason to visit, if you see it for yourself in person you'll also be standing in the building that was essentially the place where the idea of North Dakota as a state was put forward.
The idea and decision of splitting up the Dakota Territory into two states, one of them being North Dakota of course, happened here. The State Historical Society of North Dakota calls it the "birthplace of statehood."
Other than its significance to the state's history and unique building style, the Stutsman County Courthouse is also just a neat time capsule. Visitors will enjoy seeing all of the pieces of the past that are preserved here.
This courthouse was used until the 1980s when a new courthouse was built. The original was almost turned into a parking lot, but luckily the locals sought to save this historic place and it's now a special site that has educated and delighted many visitors.
Learn more about visiting the Stutsman County Courthouse State Historic Site at this website. There is also a Facebook page for the site. Please note that it is a seasonal historic site and isn’t open year-round, so check to make sure it’s open before visiting.