The Dawson County Courthouse is a historic courthouse building located at 700 North Washington Street, between 7th and 8th streets in Lexington,

Dawson County, Nebraska Dawson County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 24,326. Its county seat is Lexington. Dawson County is part of the Lexington, NE Micropolitan Statistical Area. In the Nebraska ...

. It was built during 1913-14 and is listed on the U.S.

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

History

Dawson County and Lexington, then known as Plum Creek, grew as a result of the arrival of the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

in 1866. Though the county had been created by the state legislature in 1860, it was not organized and established until 1871. Plum Creek was selected as the county seat in 1873, the town's name was changed to Lexington in 1889. . The first courthouse was built on the present courthouse square in 1874. Funding for a new courthouse was approved by voters in 1912 with an annual tax of four

mills Mills is the plural form of mill, but may also refer to: As a name * Mills (surname), a common family name of English or Gaelic origin * Mills (given name) *Mills, a fictional British secret agent in a trilogy by writer Manning O'Brine Places Uni ...

over four years. The old brick courthouse was demolished and construction of the new was started by May 1913; the new building was complete by March 1914.

Architecture

The two story redbrick courthouse building is set on a raised basement of rusticated Bedford limestone which in turn is set upon a base of

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...

from

Carthage, Missouri Carthage is a city in Jasper County, Missouri, United States. The population was 15,522 as of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Jasper County and is nicknamed "America's Maple Leaf City." History Jasper County was formed in 1841. ...

. Designed by William F. Gernandt in the Beaux Arts style of architecture, the building was said to be completely fireproof except for doors, window casings, and furniture. Additions to the courthouse were made in 1955-1956 and in 1980. It was added to the

on January 10, 1990 as a historic district. Included in the registration are the entire courthouse block, the additions as

contributing properties In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distri ...

and a

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...

statue as a

contributing object In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...

. The design of Gernandt's Webster County Courthouse, built in 1914, is related, but has arcades that are further developed.

References

Courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Nebraska Beaux-Arts architecture in Nebraska Government buildings completed in 1914 Buildings and structures in Dawson County, Nebraska County courthouses in Nebraska Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Nebraska National Register of Historic Places in Dawson County, Nebraska {{Nebraska-NRHP-stub