Worth County is named for William Jenkins Worth, who was an officer in the Black Hawk War and in the Mexican-American War.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Freeborn County, Minnesota and Mower County, Minnesota
E – Mitchell County
W – Winnebago County
Created: January 15, 1851
County Seat:
Northwood 1855 – present
County Courthouse – Northwood
Location: 1000 Central Avenue / 10th Street North
Built: 1893 – 1894
Style: Romanesque
Architect: H R P Hamilton
Contractor: S Road
Description: The building faces south and is a two story red colored brick, stone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Northwood. The south entrance has a large arch trimmed with stone on the first story. On the east side of the entrance is a square brick tower rising three stories. There is stone trim above the windows. The base of the building is course white colored stone and the roof is hipped. In the interior the hallway and stairwell walls are paneled. Stairs near the entrance ascend to the second story. The County District Court courtroom is located at the northwest corner of the second story. There is a small courtroom on the first story. The building houses the County District Court of the 2A Judicial District. On the northwest side is a one story addition. The building was enlarged and remodeled in 1938.
Old County Courthouse – Northwood
Location: 917 Central Avenue / Orchid Avenue ( 10th Street )
Built: 1879 – 1880
Style: Italianate
Architect: Simon Larson
Contractor: Simon Larson
Description: The building faces north and is a two story dark red colored brick and stone structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Northwood to the southwest of the courthouse. On the north side is a one story projecting section at the entrance. The windows are arched and the roof is hipped. The foundation of the building is white colored course stone. The building served as the courthouse until 1892. Since 1973, the building houses the Worth County Historical Museum.
See: The 2A Judicial District includes Bremer County, Butler County, Cerro Gordo County, Floyd County, Franklin County, Hancock County, Mitchell County and Winnebago County.
History: The county was created in 1851 and Northwood was selected as the county seat in 1855. The county seat was moved to Bristol in 1858 and first court met in 1859. The county seat was returned to Northwood in 1863. The county met in various premises and in 1878 the first courthouse was built at a cost of $4,400. The second and present courthouse was constricted in 1893 to 1894.
County Courthouse – Northwood
County District Court courtroom
County District Court small courtroom
Old County Courthouse – Northwood
Photos taken 2008 and 2023
Images 24*