LaMoure County is named for Judson LaMoure of Pembina, North Dakota (1839-1918), who served the first of many terms in the Dakota and North Dakota legislature.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Stutsman County and Barnes County
E – Ransom County
S – Dickey County
W – Logan County
Created: January 4, 1873
County Seat:
Grand Rapids 1873 – 1886
LaMoure 1886 – present
County Courthouse – LaMoure
Location: 202 4th Avenue Northeast / 1st Street Northeast
Built: 1908 – 1909
Style: Beaux Arts
Architect: Buechner & Orth of St. Paul, Minnesota
Contractor: R K Hafsos
Description: The building faces south and is a three story dark colored brick and concrete structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on spacious landscaped grounds on the north side of the center of LaMoure. The building has a raised basement and has an octagonal central dome on the roof. Second story windows are hooded with a corbeled arch surround with exaggerated keystone; second story windows are linteled between single pilasters. The front façade features paired Corinthian columns behind which are paired stone pilasters, and a two-story entrance surround with ornate hood. Original leaded glass, woodwork, and hardware remain in the front entrance. The metal-covered dome has a bull’s-eye window on each vault plane, exaggerated ribbing, and a ball finial. In the interior the front entrance, stairwell, and second story hallways have a gray colored marble wainscoting. A mural decorates the area immediately above the window on the third story landing, and another mural exists in one room of the Auditor’s office. The County District Court courtroom located on the east side of the third story contains extensive stenciling on walls just below a deeply coffered and highly enriched ceiling. There is wainscoting in 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 Historic Places – LaMoure County Courthouse
See: The Southeast Judicial District includes Barnes County, Dickey County, Eddy County, Foster County, Griggs County, Kidder County, Logan County, McIntosh County, Ransom County, Richland County, Sargent County, Stutsman County and Wells County.
Old County Courthouse – Grand Rapids
Location: 9797 66th Street SE / 98th Avenue SE
Built: 1883
Style: Federal
Architect: Unknown
Contractor: Unknown – community labor
Description: The building faces north and is a two story cream colored stucco and wood structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on the spacious landscaped grounds of LaMoure County Memorial Park on the north side of the center of Grand Rapids. The north side has a central entrance with wood porch on the first story. There are no windows except on the north side. The roof is hipped. The building served as the courthouse from 1883 to 1886. The building was sold and moved to Edgely and in 1981, it was moved to the LaMoure County Memorial Park along the James River.
History: The county was created in 1873 and Grand Rapids was selected as the county seat in 1881 when the county was organized. The first courthouse was built in Grand Rapids in 1883. The building is located at the LaMoure County Memorial Park at Grand Rapids. When the county seat was moved to LaMoure in 1886, the court was housed in the City Hall and a bank building. After a fire in 1894, the court was housed in the Lloyd Bank building. The second and present courthouse was constructed in 1908 to 1909 at a cost of $100,000.
County Courthouse – LaMoure
County District Court courtroom
Old County Courthouse – Grand Rapids
Photos taken 2007, 2011, 2018, 2023 and 2024
Images 30*