Thurston County is named for John M Thurston, who was a United States senator from Nebraska.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Dixon County and Dakota County
E – Woodbury County, Iowa and Monona County, Iowa
S – Burt County and Cuming County
W – Wayne County
Created: March 28, 1889
County Seat:
Pender 1889 – present
County Courthouse – Pender
Location: 106 South 5th Street / North Main Street
Built: 1895 – 1896
Style: Late Victoria and Romanesque
Architect: Unknown
Contractor: Unknown
Description: The building faces east and is a two story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Pender. In 1927, the building was purchased for use as a courthouse. The raised basement is white colored concrete. The building has a central tower with the entrance on the first story and a peaked roof at the third story. The north and south sections have hipped roofs. The interior has eight rooms. The floors and stairs are wood and the walls are paneled. The ceiling on the top story is the original metal ceiling. The combined County District Court and County Court courtroom is located on the north side of the second story. The building houses the County District Court and County Court of the 6th Judicial District. Work was completed in 1927 to change the building to the courthouse. The original architect and contractor are unknown. The architect in 1927 was J F Reynolds of Sioux City, Iowa and the contractor was unknown.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Thurston County Courthouse
Old County Courthouse – Pender
Location: 400 Main Street / North 4th Street
Built: 1892 – 1893
Style: Second Renaissance Revival
Architect: Unknown
Contractor: Unknown
Description: The building faces south and is a three story red colored brick structure. The building is “U” shaped. The centered portion which is six bays, is recessed slightly from the three-bay ends, The building was known as the “Peebles House”. The building became the Palace Hotel. The building served as the courthouse from 1908 to 1927 with the courtroom located on the second story. The center of the building is recessed and the roof line is flat.
See: National Register of Historic Places – First Thurston County Courthouse
See: The 6th Judicial District includes Burt County, Cedar County, Dakota County, Dixon County, Dodge County and Washington County.
History: The county was created in 1855 and Pender was selected as the county seat in 1889 when the county was organized. The first courthouse consisted of two adjacent buildings; a two story wood frame commercial buildings which was existing in 1889 and a three story brick hotel built in 1892 and is still standing. The buildings were leased in 1908 until 1927 when the second courthouse, a school was purchased for use as the present courthouse.
County Courthouse – Pender
County District Court and County Court courtroom
Board of Supervisors Meeting Room
Old County Courthouse – Pender
Photos taken 2008, 2010 and 2023
Images 18*