Plymouth County is named for Plymouth, Massachusetts, the first settlement of the Pilgrims in 1620.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Sioux County
E – Cherokee County
S – Wodbury County
W – Union County, South Dakota
Created: January 15, 1851
County Seat:
Melbourne 1851 – 1872
Le Mars 1872 – present
County Courthouse – Le Mars
Location: 215 4th Avenue SE / 2nd Street SE
Built: 1901 – 1902
Style: Greek Revival
Architect: Kinney & Detweiler of Minneapolis, Minnesota
Contractor: Emil Miller of Le Mars
Description: The building faces north and is a three story reddish colored sandstone and concrete structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on spacious landscaped grounds in the center of Le Mars. Portage-entry red sandstone is used for the entire facing of the building. The north front has a large Greek style portico with four large sandstone columns rising to a pediment at the roof line and wide sandstone steps. The north entrance is on the second story. The roof line is flat. In the interior are ceramic tile floors and a double wood staircase at the entrance lobby. In the center of the second story is a circular light well opening to the third story. The County Magistrate Court courtroom is located at the southeast corner of the third story. The County District Court courtroom is located along the west side of the third story and has a high ceiling with a large light fixture. Behind the judge’s bench rises a wood temple-like structure with columns. The building houses the County District Court of the 3B Judicial District. The original dome was removed in 1932. On the southeast side is the County Courthouse Annex.
See: The architect, Kinney & Detweiler of Minneapolis, Minnesota designed many courthouses.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Plymouth County Courthouse
See: The 3B Judicial District includes Crawford County, Ida County, Monona County, Sioux County and Woodbury County.
History: The county was created in 1851 and Melbourne was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was erected in Melbourne in the 1860’s and a portion of the building was used by Henry Morf as a grocery store. The county seat was moved to Le Mars in 1872. The second courthouse was erected in 1873. The third court was a larger structure built in 1874 at a cost of $3,000. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1901 to 1902 at a cost of $70,000
County Courthouse – Le Mars
County District Court courtroom
County Magistrate Court courtroom
County Courthouse Annex – Le Mars
Photos taken 2007, 2023 and 2024
Images 28*