Moody County is named for Gideon C Moody, who was a territorial legislator and a United States Senator.
Surroundiing County Courthouses:
N – Brookings County
E – Pipestone County, Minnesota
S – Minnehaha County
W – Lake County
Created: January 8, 1873
County Seat:
Egan 1873 – 1881
Flandreau 1881 – present
County Courthouse – Flandreau
Location: 101 East Pipestone Avenue / Wind Street
Built: 1914 – 1915
Style: Classical Revival
Architect: Joseph A Schwarz
Contractor: O H Olson
Description: The building faces north and is a three story gray colored Bedford stone, steel and concrete structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Flandreau. The north front has stone columns rising from the second to third stories. The entrance door projects from the building and has a stone eagle atop the door frame. Inside is a sky lighted dome over a rotunda and the building is laid out in a cruciform plan with the north leg housing the main entrance. The floors are marble in the rotunda and terrazzo elsewhere. All the stairs are white colored marble with wrought iron grill oak and oak banisters. The County Circuit Court courtroom on the east side third story is an excellent example of Classical revival interior design. Paired pilasters with marble plinths surround the room. The pilasters are topped with thin capitals carrying a geometric design. An entablature of ornamental plaster work rises above the pilasters. Elaborate painted decorations exist in the frieze. The cornice consists of a dentil band with half-circles cut from the lower edge. The ceiling is deeply coffered with paired beams located above the pilasters. A torus molding of stylized leaves is located on the edge of each recessed ceiling panel. A mural painted by Axel E Soderberg of Madison, Wisconsin, of three classically-attired women representing the balance of law and justice is located above the judge’s bench. The original courtroom furniture remains in place. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 3rd Judicial Circuit and the County Magistrate Court.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Moody County Courthouse
Old County Courthouse – Flandreau
Location: 100 East Second Avenue and North Prairie Street
Built: 1882 – 1883
Style: Classical Revival
Architect: B F Nichol
Contractor: M B Simpson
Description: The building faces west and is a two story clapboard and wood frame structure. The building is located in the center of the city to the east of the courthouse. The west front has a large portico with four white colored columns rising to a pediment at the roof line. Along the base of the building are red colored bricks. The roof is hipped. In recent years the building has been stuccoed over. The building served as county courthouse until 1915 when the current courthouse was completed. The building is now a church and the former courtroom is located on the second story.
See: The 3rd Judicial Circuit includes Beadle County, Brookings County, Clark County, Codington County, Deuel County, Grant County, Hamlin County, Hand County, Jerauld County, Kingsbury County, Lake County, Miner County and Sanborn County.
History: The county was created in 1873 and Egan was selected as the county seat. The county used rented premises in Flandreau including Flandreau House. The county seat was moved to Flandreau in 1881. The first courthouse was built in 1882 to 1883 at a cost of $4,350 and is still standing. The second and present courthouse was constructed in 1914 to 1915 at a cost of $88,053.
County Courthouse – Flandreau
County Circuit Court courtroom
Old County Courthouse – Flandreau
Former courtroom
Photos taken 2007, 2016 and 2018
Images 28*