Rusk County - American Courthouses

Rusk County is named for Jeremiah Rusk, who was the Governor of Wisconsin from 1882 to 1889.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Sawyer County

E – Price County and Taylor County

S – Taylor County and Chippewa County

W – Barron County

Created: January 19, 1905

County Seat:

Ladysmith 1905 – present

Second County Courthouse – Ladysmith

Location: 311 Miner Avenue East / East 4th Street

Built: 1964 – 1965

Style: Modern

Architect: Dobberman & Helske

Contractor: Steel Structures, Incorporated of Medford

Description: The building faces south and is a two story brick and concrete structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Ladysmith. The south front has vertical concrete dividers with long narrow windows between. The central recessed entrance has a solid white colored stone panel above the doorway. The rest of the building is a red-yellow colored brick and the roof line is flat. In the interior there was a County Circuit Court courtroom which was converted into office space. The building was constructed as an annex with the old 1903 courthouse located on the north side.

County Government Center – Ladysmith

Location: 311 Miner Avenue East / East 4th Street

Built: 1996 – 1997

Style: Modern

Architect: Ayers Associates

Contractor: Market & Johnson, Inc.

Description: The building faces east and is a modern three story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on the north side of the second courthouse in the center of Ladysmith. The east entrance has a concrete portico with concrete facing above. The roof line is flat. The building sits on the site of the old 1903 courthouse. In the interior, the hallway runs east-west. On the third story, County Circuit Court courtroom 1 is located on the south side. County Circuit courtroom 2 is located on the southwest side of the County Government Center. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 10th Judicial Circuit. On the southeast side is the annex built in 1964 to 1965 which served as the second courthouse. The buildings are named the “Rusk County Government Center” and are connected.

See: The 10th Judicial District includes Ashland County, Barron County, Bayfield County, Burnett County, Chippewa County, Douglas County, Dunn County, Eau Claire County, Polk County, Saint Croix County, Sawyer County and Washburn County.

History: Gates County was created in 1901 and was changed to Rusk County in 1905. The first courthouse was designed and constructed by C F Stanley and C A Stanley of Chippewa Falls and Stanley Manufacturing Company in 1902 to 1903 at a cost of $10,000. The second and present courthouse was constructed in 1964 to 1965 and the old courthouse was remodeled in 1992 to 1996 when it was demolished and the County Government Center was constructed in 1996 to 1997.