Dickey County is named for George H Dickey (1858 -1923), a Valley City attorney and leader of the House of Representatives.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – LaMoure County
E – Sargent County
S – Brown County, South Dakota and McPherson County, South Dakota
W – McIntosh County
Created: March 5, 1881
County Seat:
Ellendale 1882 – present
County Courthouse – Ellendale
Location: 309 2nd Street North / 3rd Avenue North
Built: 1910 – 1911
Style: Beaux Arts
Architect: Buechner & Orth of St. Paul, Minnesota
Contractor: Ingemann Company
Description: The building faces south and is a two story brick, concrete and limestone structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Ellendale. Constructed of dark brown colored brick and white colored limestone cornices and trim. The building has a raised basement and is a classic rectangle shape with an octagonal dome on the center of the roof. The building features a belvedere finial with belcast roof and a front façade door surround with bracketed arched hood and single den tiled pilasters between the second story windows. Fluted Corinthian columns at the south entrance are flanked by plain brick pilasters with limestone cartouches engraved “AD” and “1910” with a pediment at the roof line. The interior has brown-gray terrazzo and marble floors, marble stairs and first-floor wainscoting, and brass stair railings. A stair case rises from the entrance to the first story with the centrally located rotunda under the dome which has four murals with western scenes. The combined County District Court and County Court courtroom is located along the west side the third story and has a coffered ceiling, a mural behind the judge’s station and original oak woodwork. A set of stairs descends to the first story from the courtroom. The building houses the County District Court of the Southeast Judicial District.
See: The architect Buechner & Orth of St. Paul, Minnesota designed many courthouses.
See: National Register of Historical Places – Dickey County Courthouse
See: The Southeast Judicial District includes Barnes County, Eddy County, Foster County, Griggs County, Kidder County, LaMoure County, Logan County, McIntosh County, Ransom County, Richland County, Sargent County, Stutsman County and Wells County.
History: The county was created in 1881 and Ellendale was selected as the county seat in 1882. The first courthouse was a two story structure designed and built by Brown & Mallory in 1885. The second and present courthouse was constructed in 1910 to 1911.
County Courthouse – Ellendale
County District Court courtroom
Photos taken 2007 and 2024
Images 21*