Weston County is named for John B Weston, who was a railroad promoter.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Crook County
E – Lawrence County, South Dakota, Pennington County, South Dakota and Custer County, South Dakota
S – Niobrara County and Converse County
W – Campbell County
Created: March 12, 1890
County Seat:
Newcastle 1890 – present
County Courthouse – Newcastle
Location: 1 West Main Street / Summit Avenue
Built: 1910 – 1911
Style: Classical Revival / Beaux Arts
Architect: Charles A Randall
Contractor: Williams & Oak and John L Sundstrum, Carl Sjostrum and Robert Linden.
Description: The building faces east and is a two story red colored brick, stone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Newcastle. On the center of the roof is an octagonal cupola with black colored roof and eagle statue at the top. On the southeast front is a large Greek style portico supported by four large stone Ionic columns. Atop the portico is a statue of Justice The first story and base is white colored cut sandstone. The second story is brick and the corners have stone trim. In the interior are the original staircase, wood paneling in the lobby and original trim around doors. The Commissioner’s Room is located on the first story. The County District Court courtroom, judge’s chambers and law library are located on the second story and have been completely refurbished with new materials. The building houses the County District Court and County Circuit Court of the 6th Judicial District. A three story wing dedicated as a war memorial was added on the west side of the building in 1953. The addition uses sandstone for the first two stories and brick for the upper floor to match the main building.
Note: The first contractor Williams & Oak was fired and replaced by John L. Sundstrom, Oscar Linden, Carl Sjostrum and Robert Linden with experience in stonemasonry. Construction was complete in 1911, in time for a visit in October and an address from the courthouse steps by United States President William Howard Taft.
See: The architect, Charles A Randall, also designed the courthouse in South Dakota in Butte County.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Weston County Courthouse
See: The 6th Judicial District includes Campbell County and Crook County.
History: The county was created in 1890 and Newcastle was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was office space located in the basement of Kilpatrick Brothers and Collins Mercantile. The second and present courthouse was constructed in 1910 to 1911.
County Courthouse – Newcastle
County District Court courtroom
Photos taken 2007 and 2023
Images 19*