When I pulled up to this courthouse, I thought it wasn't bad. It was the 1960s, I thought, but this one felt like they really put some effort into it. Someone somewhere actually tried to come up with something that would approach stylish and classic. I didn’t think they quite made it, but someone really … Continue reading 702. West Point, Cuming County (NE19) →

Well, it’s a courthouse.  An effort was made.  I think someone wanted something nicer, but since it's a poor county, they couldn’t afford the clock tower, scrollwork, or detailing.  Something on the grounds did catch my eye: a time capsule with no date on it.  Since it's a time capsule, it’s going to be exhumed … Continue reading 701. Pender, Thurston County (NE18) →

This is a lovely traditional courthouse and a welcome pick-me-up after Ponca.  Of course, I am trying to solve a riddle here.  I’m trying to figure out their stance on flags.  They seem a little ambivalent about them, but it’s hard to tell.  I just can’t put my finger on it, so maybe one of … Continue reading 700. Wayne, Wayne County (NE17) →

Well, what can I really say about it?  It’s an unimpressive courthouse for a small county.  It’s nothing special, but it’s not cringeworthy, either.  Considering it’s in a town of about nine hundred within a county of six thousand, they’re doing their best.  It meets their needs, so I guess that’s good enough.  The cache … Continue reading 699. Ponca, Dixon County (NE16) →

The courthouse is alright.  There’s no flag out front.  An annex built in 2009 blends in a little, and the proverbial "they" were nice enough to put in a stone to tell you when it was built.  I’m sure the seemingly empty tower must be interesting for internal use.  That’d be a great lunch spot … Continue reading 698. Huntington, Cedar County (NE15) →

Well, well, well…  They have a government center here instead of a courthouse.  Why, you might ask?  Because they tore down the old courthouse!  They left the original flagpole and the front steps with columns.  Apparently, they tore it down for architectural reasons.  On a certain level, I understand that.  The needs of the present … Continue reading 697. Yankton, Yankton County (SD03) →

How many Clay Counties does this make? (Henry Clay is well represented in the county naming department.) I believe this makes four out of sixteen, so, as the animated fantasy dog-fighting sim says, "Gotta catch ‘em all!" That said, this is a good, solid courthouse, so good on them! Although, I can see that the … Continue reading 696. Vermillion, Clay County (SD02) →

Oh, South Dakota!A happy voice welcomed me to the state! If only a similar courthouse had greeted me! Well, it was the 1970s. Specifically, 1978, as my extensive research would reveal (it was not extensive). There was a stone out front from an older 1898 courthouse, but otherwise, this courthouse was “meh” with a capital … Continue reading 695. Elk Point, Union County (SD01) →

Look at that glorious hunk of art deco!  This was very much not what I expected to find up here.  Art deco usually has a simple elegance to it, but in this case, it was both simple and detailed in equal measure.  The figures carved over the entranceway were gorgeous!  There were a few possible … Continue reading 694. Sioux City, Woodbury County (IA06) →

This one was a little different from the examples I’d been seeing on this trip: low and long instead of tall with a smaller footprint.  Were the builders trying to emulate stucco?  Not a clue, but certainly unexpected this far north.  That wasn’t the strangest thing, though.  The strangest thing was the flagpole, which looked … Continue reading 693. Dakota City, Dakota County (NE14) →