Crawford County is named for William Harris Crawford, who was a presidential candidate as well as United States Secretary of the Treasury and Secretary of War.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Ida County and Sac County
E – Carroll County
S – Shelby County and Harrison County
W – Monona County
Created: January 15, 1851
County Seat:
Denison 1855 – present
County Courthouse – Denison
Location: 1202 Broadway Street / South 12th Street
Built: 1904 – 1905
Style: Classical Revival
Architect: George A Berlinghof of Beatrice, Nebraska
Contractor: Marxen & Rokahr of Avoca
Description: The building faces south and is a three story Ohio marble and concrete structure. The building is located on the lanscaped grounds of the Courthouse Square. The building has a high portico at the central entrance with four tall columns rising from the second to third story supporting a pediment at the roof line. There are porticos on the north and south sides with four columns on each. The north and south wings project from the main building. The roof line is flat. In the interior is a central staircase. The large County District Court courtroom is located on the north side of the third story. The building houses the District Court of the 3B Judicial District.
See: The architect, George A Berlinghof of Beatrice, designed courthouses in Nebraska in Colfax County, Franklin County, Greeley County, Howard County, Kearney County, Lincoln County, Nemaha County, Seward County and Thayer County.
See: The contractor, Marxen & Rokahr of Avoca, Iowa, also constructed the courthouse in Nebraska in Seward County.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Crawford County Courthouse
See: The 3B Judicial District includes Ida County, Monona County, Plymouth County, Sioux County and Woodbury County.
Old County Courthouse – Denison
Location: 1203 Broadway Street / South 12th Street
Built: 1857 – 1859
Style: Commercial
Architect: Unknown
Contractor: Unknown
Description: The building faces north and is a two story yellow and red colored brick structure. The building is located on the south side of the Courthouse Square in the center of Denison. The building descends a slope with the basement exposed on the south side. The north front has yellow colored brick and has large windows on the first story. The roof line is flat. The building was moved by rollers from the Courthouse Square in 1904 and has served as a commercial building.
History: The county was created in 1851 and Denison was selected as the county seat in 1855 when the county was organized. The first courthouse was built in 1857 to 1859 and a frame addition was added in 1871 and in 1881 at a cost of $5,000. The second and present courthouse was constructed in 1904 to 1905 at a cost of $115,000.
County Courthouse – Denison
County District Court courtroom
Old County Courthouse – Denison
Photos taken 2008, 2023 and 2025
Images 18*