Grant County - American Courthouses

Grant County is named for a white Indian trader named Grant and the name was given to the area during the British control.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Crawford County and Richland County

E – Iowa County and Lafayette County

S – Jo Daviess County. Illinois

W – Dubuque County, Iowa and Clayton County, Iowa

Created: December 8, 1836

County Seat:

Lancaster 1836 – present

County Courthouse – Lancaster

Location: 130 West Maple Street / South Madison Street

Built: 1902 – 1905

Style: Classical Revival

Architect: Armand D Koch

Contractor: The Northern Building Company of Minneapolis , Minnesota and Robert Brooker of Lancaster.

Description: The building faces north and is a three story brownstone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Lancaster. The building is cross shaped. Three types of brick are found in the exterior walls: red colored clay bricks at the basement, glazed brown colored bricks at the first story, and light-brown colored bricks on the upper stories. The east front protrudes to create the main entrance, with the south wing and north wing behind. On the center of the roof is an octagonal glass and copper dome topped by a small open cupola. In the interior, ornamental iron railings surround the central well at the second and third stories, and an open stairway descends from the second story to the first story at the center middle of the well. On the third story, murals painted by Franz Edward Rohrbeck decorate the four spandrels under the dome. The small County Circuit Court courtroom is located at the south side of the second story and the large County Circuit Court courtroom is located at the south side on the third story. On the first story is a Hearing Room. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 7th Judicial Circuit.

See: National Register of Historic Places – Grant County Courthouse

See: The 7th Judicial District includes Adams County, Buffalo County, Clark County, Crawford County, Iowa County, Jackson County, Juneau County, La Crosse County, Monroe County, Pepin County, Pierce County, Richland County, Trempealeau County and Vernon County.

History: The county was created in 1836 and Lancaster was selected as the county seat in 1837. The first courthouse was erected by G M Price and Daniel Banfill in 1838. The second courthouse was built by Alcorn, Wood and Prentice in 1851 to 1852. Part of this building was incorporated in the present courthouse. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1902 to 1905.

County Administration Building – Lancaster

Location: 111 South Jefferson Street / W Maple Street

Built: 1997 – 1998

Style: Modern

Architect: Ayers Associated

Contractor: Miron Construction

Description: The building faces east and is a three story red colored brick and stone structure. The building is located on the west side of the courthouse in the center of Lancaster. The building is rectangular and has a flat roof line.