Trempealeau County is named for Trempealeau Mountain which is located in the county and comes from the French meaning “mountain with its foot in the water” referring to a bluff in a bend of the Trempealeau River.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
E – Jackson County
S – La Crosse County and Winona County, Minnesota
W – Buffalo County
Created: January 27, 1854
County Seat:
Galesville 1854 – 1876
Arcadia 1876 – 1877
Whitehall 1877 – present
County Courthouse – Whitehall
Location: 36245 Main Street / Scranton Street
Built: 1954 – 1956
Style: Modern
Architect: Klinger and Associates of Eau Claire
Contractor: Johnson Construction Company of Winona, Minnesota
Description: The building faces east and is a two story buff colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Whitehall. Along the east front are entrances on the north and on the south. Also on the east front is figure etched in stone and rising two stories. The roof line is flat. In the interior, the County Circuit Court courtroom is located at the north end of the second story and the other County Circuit Court courtroom is located at the south end. This building was attached to the courthouse erected in 1883 on the west side. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 7th Judicial District. The architect was Klinger and Associates of Eau Claire and the contractor was Johnson Construction Company of Winona, Minnesota. In 1966 to 1967, an addition was added on the north to double the size of the building. Another addition was added in 1976 and in 1982.
See: The 7th Judicial District includes Adams County, Buffalo County, Clark County, Crawford County, Grant County, Iowa County, Jackson County, Juneau County, La Crosse County, Monroe County, Pepin County, Pierce County, Richland County and Vernon County.
History: The county was created in 1854 and Galesville was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was built in 1855 to 1856. The county seat was moved to Arcadia in 1876 and then to Whitehall in 1877. The second courthouse was designed by Charles B Cook and built by S S Luce in 1883 to 1884 at a cost of $20,000. In 1911, the courthouse was enlarged at a cost of $30,000. The third and present courthouse was constructed as an addition was in 1954 to 1956 at a cost of $185,000. A further addition was constructed in 1966 to 1967. In 1981, the 1911 structure was replaced by a new jail.
County Courthouse – Whitehall
North County Circuit Court Courtroom
South County Circuit Court courtroom
Photos taken 2006, 2008, 2012 and 2019
Images 16*