Cass County is named for Lewis Cass, who was an American statesman and patriot.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Saunders County and Sarpy County
E – Mills County, Iowa and Fremont County, Iowa
S – Otoe County
W – Lancaster County
Created: November 23, 1854
County Seat:
Plattsmouth 1855 – present
County Courthouse – Plattsmouth
Location: 346 Main Street / North 4th Street
Built: 1891 – 1892
Style: Romanesque Revival
Architect: William Gray of Lincoln
Contractor: O J King of Omaha
Description: The building faces west and is a three story red colored brick, terra cotta and stone structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Plattsmouth. The west central section of the building projects from the main building and has an arched entrance. The building rests on a sturdy raised basement of rock-faced cut reddish colored sandstone. Gabled pavilions are centered on all four facades, but only two have entries. On each corner is a large square tower with green colored peaked roof. Small terra cotta buttresses with fanciful foliated tops and “quilted” shafts anchor the gable ends. This quilted texture is continued on the pavilion’s wall surface to the three-part round-arched transom windows. In the center of the building rises a high clock tower with steep peaked roof. In the interior there is attractive tile flooring (a large geometric pattern), oak woodwork, and 13 foot high ceilings. The County District Court courtroom is located on the northeast corner of the third story and the County Court courtroom is located on the northwest corner of the third story. The building houses the County District Court and County Court of the 2nd Judicial District. The architect was William Gray and the contractor was O J King. On the north side is the Old County Jail built in 1914 and on the east side is the County Jail.
See: The architect, William Gray of Lincoln, also designed the courthouse in Johnson County.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Cass County Courthouse
History: The county was created in 1854 and Plattsmouth was selected as the county seat in 1855. The first court met in the schoolhouse erected by James O’Neil on Gospel Hill in 1856; then in the Thomas and Bradford Building; then to a building on Main Street at Fifth Street erected in 1858 by Buttery & Barnes; then to the old Masonic Hall on Main Street and finally to the present location on Main Street when the first courthouse was built in 1862. The courthouse was damaged by high winds. The second courthouse was a two story brick structure built in 1862 to 1863. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1891 to 1892 at a cost of $67,901.
County Courthouse – Plattsmouth
Old clock works
County District Court courtroom
County Court courtroom
Old County Jail
Photos taken 2008 and 2023
Images 28*