Carroll County - American Courthouses

Carroll County is named for Charles Carroll, who was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Sac County and Calhoun County

E – Greene County

S – Guthrie County and Audubon County

W – Crawford County

Created: January 15, 1851

County Seat:

Carrolton 1855 – 1869

Carroll 1869 – present

County Courthouse – Carroll

Location: 114 East 6th Street / North Main Street

Built: 1964 – 1965

Style: Modern

Architect: John Latenser & Son Company

Contractor: Sioux Construction

Description: The building faces north and is a three story buff colored limestone, red colored brick, concrete and glass structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on landscaped grounds atop a rise in the center of Carroll. The north front extends from the main building and has an overhang at the central entrance. Vertical dividers separate the windows. Vertical dividers are along the east and west sides. In the interior, the hallway runs east-west. The County Magistrate Court is located at the southwest side of the third story. The County District Court courtroom is located along the north side of the third story. At the rear of the courtroom are four murals painted by Edward S Paulsen. The building houses the District Court of the 2B Judicial District. The architect was John Latenser & Son Company and the contractor was Sioux Construction. The building was removed (HVAC) in 2024. The contractor was Badding Construction of Carroll.

Note: The four murals were completed in 1931 to 1932 and installed in the 1877 County Courthouse and in 1963 they were removed when the courthouse was demolished and placed in storage until the present courthouse was completed.

History: The county was created in 1851 and Carrolton was selected as the county seat in 1855. The first courthouse was started in 1858 and the contractor died. In 1865 a second story was built at a cost of #3,000. In 1868 the county seat was moved to Carroll and the court occupied the railroad depot. The second courthouse was built in 1869 at a cost of $4,000. The courthouse burned in 1886 and the county offices were moved to the Joyce Lumber Company building and court was held in the music hall. In 1887, the third courthouse was a Victorian limestone structure designed by J C Cochrane and constructed by R S Finkbine. The courthouse was torn down when the fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1964 to 1965 at a cost of $750,000.