Shawano County is named for the Ojibwe Native American word meaning “southern”.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Langlade County, Menominee County and Oconto County
E – Oconto County and Brown County
S – Outagamie County and Waupaca County
W – Marathon County
Created: February 16, 1853
County Seat:
Shawano 1853 – present
County Courthouse – Shawano
Location: 311 North Main Street / West 4th Street
Built: 1956 – 1958
Style: Modern
Architect: Foeller, Schober, Berners, Safford and Jahn of Green Bay
Contractor: The Hoffman Company of Appleton
Description: The building faces east and is a two story stone and concrete structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Shawano. The building is faced with a light colored polished stone. The north and south ends of the building are recessed. In the center the entrance has a square arch which is recessed. Along the first story, the windows are square and on the second story, the windows are vertical. The roof line is flat. In the interior the main corridor runs north-south with an entrance lobby at the center of the east side. The large County Circuit Court courtroom is located on the east side of the second story. The small County Circuit Court courtroom is located on the west side of the second story. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 9th Judicial District.
Note: The courthouse also houses the court for the Menominee County.
See: The 9th Judicial District includes Florence County, Forest County, Iron County, Langlade County, Lincoln County, Marathon County, Menominee County, Oneida County, Portage County, Price County, Taylor County, Vilas County and Wood County.
History: The county was created as Shawanaw County in 1853 with name change in 1864 and Shawano was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was erected on Main Street in 1857. The second courthouse was a two story structure designed by Charles Westcott and constructed by J L Whitehorse in 1879 to 1880. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1956 to 1968.
County Courthouse — Shawano
County Circuit Court courtroom
County Circuit Court courtroom
Photos taken 2007, 2012 and 2022
Images 17*