O’Brien County is named for William Smith O’Brien, who was an Irish patriot.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Osceola County
E – Clay County
S – Cherokee County
W – Sioux County
Created: January 15, 1851
County Seat:
Old O’Brien 1851 – 1873
Primghar 1873 – present
County Courthouse – Primghar
Location: 155 South Hayes Avenue / 2nd Street
Built: 1915 – 1916
Style: Neo-Classical / Beaux Arts
Architect: Smith and Keffer
Contractor: J E Lovejoy
Description: The building faces east and is a three story cream colored stone and concrete structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Primghar. The building is faced with buff Bedford limestone. The east front has six large Doric columns rising from the second story to the top of the third story. A projecting cornice runs below the roof line. The roof line is flat. In the interior there is an entrance hall. The hallways are made of Italian marble and the handrails are finished in bronze. A ceramic tile floor has the county seal in tile mosaic. A central marble staircase with wood handrails and brass balustrade ascends to the third story. In the center of the building is a large rotunda rising to a wide skylight with white glass panels. Ornate railing is around the rotunda on the upper story, On the second story is the Supervisors Room. The County District Court is located at the northwest side of the third story. The building houses the County District Court of the 3A Judicial District.
See: National Register of Historic Places – O’Brien County Courthouse
See: The 3A Judicial District includes Buena Vista County, Cherokee County, Clay County, Dickinson County, Emmet County, Kossuth County, Lyon County, Osceola County and Palo Alto County.
History: The county was created in 1851 and Old O’Brien was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was built at Waterman in 1860 at a cost of $2,000. The county seat was moved to Primghar in 1873 and the second courthouse was built in 1874. At a cost of $2,000. The third courthouse was built by Green Brothers in 1887 at a cost of $6,000. An addition was constructed in 1902 by English & Metcalf. The cost of construction of the present courthouse was $159,000.
County Courthouse – Primghar
Board of Supervisors Meeting Room
County District Court courtroom
Photos taken 2007 and 2024
Images 23*