National Register of Historic Places

Blue Earth County Courthouse

Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minnesota
Listed
July 27, 1980
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
80001940

About this property

The Blue Earth County Historic Courthouse is the former courthouse of Blue Earth County, Minnesota, United States, in the city of Mankato, the county seat. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Court services were moved from the Historic Courthouse to the Blue Earth County Justice Center, located at 401 Carver Rd, Mankato, Minnesota in 2009. The building, completed in 1889, was the second courthouse in the county. The first courthouse in the county, a 20-by-24 foot one-story stone building, was built in 1857. According to local Welsh-language poet James D. Price, whose Bardic name was "Ap Dewi", the first Eisteddfod held in Mankato took place at the Blue Earth County Courthouse on January 1, 1873. By the mid 1800s, the county commissioners felt that the previous buildings were a "disgrace and gave strangers that we were behind the times. That the county was either poverty stricken or greatly lacking in enterprise." At this time, there was a debate on whether to relocate the county seat to Garden City or have it remain in Mankato. After much debate, a building was started in 1886. The new building, designed by Minneapolis architects Haley & Allen, combined a Second Empire roof and dome with Italianate features. The stone was provided by a local quarry, with various techniques giving it both rusticated and ashlar surfaces. The copper-sheathed dome is capped with a statue of Lady Justice.

Location

Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minnesota
44.16372, -93.99954

Categories

POLITICS/GOVERNMENTARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Native Heritage
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Settlement
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The Community
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Nearby Historic Sites

Old Main, Mankato State Teachers College
Industrial
0.1 mi
First Presbyterian Church
Industrial
0.2 mi
Mankato Public Library and Reading Room
Industrial
0.2 mi
Federal Courthouse and Post Office
Early Republic
0.2 mi
First National Bank of Mankato
Industrial
0.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Blue Earth County Courthouse listed on the National Register?

Blue Earth County Courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 27, 1980.

What type of historic resource is Blue Earth County Courthouse?

Blue Earth County Courthouse is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Blue Earth County Courthouse?

The period of significance for Blue Earth County Courthouse is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Blue Earth County Courthouse?

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