Hutchinson County - American Courthouses

Hutchinson County is named for John Hutchinson, who was the territorial secretary of the Dakota Territory.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Davison County, Hanson County and McCook County

E – Turner County

S – Yankton County and Bon Homme County

W – Charles Mix County and Douglas County

Created: May 8, 1862

County Seat:

Maxwell City 1871 – 1873

Olivet 1873 – present

County Courthouse – Olivet

Location: 201 West Mentor Street / North 2nd Avenue

Built: 2018 – 2019

Style: Modern

Architect: Upper Deck Architects Inc.

Contractor: Puetz Corporation of Mitchell

Description: The building faces southeast and is a one story structure. The building is located on a low hill on landscaped grounds in the center of Olivet. The building is L shaped with a west wing and a north wing which join at the entrance portico. The roof is hipped. In the interior, there is an entrance lobby with hallways running north-south and east-west. The combined County Circuit Court and County Magistrate Court courtroom is located along the north side of the north wing. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 1st Judicial District and the County Magistrate Court.

See: The 1st Judicial Circuit includes Aurora County, Bon Homme County, Brule County, Buffalo County, Charles Mix County, Clay County, Hanson County, McCook County, Turner County, Union County and Yankton County.

Former County Courthouse (demolished) – Olivet

Location: 140 Euclid Street / North 2nd Avenue

Built: 1881

Style: Prairie

Architect: Ferdinand Cash

Contractor: Ferdinand Cash .

Description: The building faces south and is a two story buff colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Olivet. The original center section is light colored brick forming the center of the building with entrance portico on the south side. The roof is hipped. The former County Circuit Court courtroom is located on the west side of the central second story, In 1888, one-story, fireproof, brick vaults were built on each side of the original building, and in 1934, second story additions with flat roofs were added on both sides above the vaults. In 1967, a modern, one-story, brick wing was added to the west side of the building, and in 1975, a similar wing was added to the east. The building was demolished in 2022.

Note: The courthouse was the oldest courthouse still in use in South Dakota until demolished. The oldest former courthouse is located in Minnehaha County.

History: The county was created in 1862 and Maxwell City was selected as the county seat in 1871 when the county was organized. The county seat was moved to Olivet in 1873 and the first courthouse was erected at a cost of $310 built of pine lumber with tar paper all around, and which held a courtroom and treasurer’s office. In 1873, the northern half of the county became Armstrong County with Milltown as the county seat. In 1879, Armstrong County was dissolved and the territory returned to Hutchinson County. The second courthouse was constructed in 1881 at a cost of $2,400. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 2018 to 2019 at a cost of $4,500,000.