Aurora County is named for “Aurora”, who is The Roman goddess of the dawn.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Jerauld County
E – Davison County
S – Douglas County and Charles Mix County
W – Brule County
Created: October 1, 1879
County Seat:
Plankinton 1881 – present
County Courthouse – Plankinton
Location: 401 North Main Street / West 4th Street
Built: 1939 – 1940
Style: Art Deco
Architect: Floyd F Kings and Walter J Dixon
Contractor: A J Clocksin ( superintendent ) ( WPA )
Description: The building .faces east and is a three story gray colored stone faced and concrete structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Plankinton. Vertical bands divide the windows on the second to third stories. Vertical bands are on either side of the main east entrance. Interior finishes throughout the building are simple and austere. Floors are terrazzo, walls plastered, and ceilings covered with historic acoustical tile. Interior doors are oak with three recessed panels and without trim; door hardware displays an art deco motif. Historic wall mounted, stainless steel light fixtures remain in the stairways. The County Circuit Court courtroom, which occupies the southern half of the third floor, is finished similarly to the remainder of the building. The historic art deco-style furnishings, however, impart a perception of formality to the space. The finely designed and grafted pieces are constructed of two contrasting woods. The lighter wood is used as a band of fluting to top the furnishings and also to highlight other surfaces. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 1st Judicial District and the County Magistrate Court. This was a Works Project Administration project..
See: National Register of Historic Places – Aurora County Courthouse
See: The 1st Judicial Circuit includes Bon Homme County, Brule County, Buffalo County, Charles Mix County, Clay County, Davison County, Douglas County, Hanson County, Hutchinson County, McCook County, Turner County, Union County and Yankton County.
History: The county was created in 1879 and Plankinton was selected as the county seat in 1881 when the county was organized. The first courthouse was a wood frame structure designed by Theodore Mix and constructed by Thomas Henning in 1883 to 1884 at a cost of $11,475. The second and present courthouse was constructed in 1939 to 1940.
County Courthouse – Plankinton
County Circuit Court courtroom
Photos taken 2007 and 2018
Images 13*