Plymouth County is named for Plymouth, Massachusetts, the first settlement of the Pilgrims in 1620.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Sioux County
E – Cherokee County
S – Wodbury County
W – Union County, South Dakota
Created: January 15, 1851
County Seat:
Melbourne 1851 – 1872
Le Mars 1872 – present
County Courthouse – Le Mars
Location: 215 4th Avenue SE / 2nd Street SE
Built: 1901 – 1902
Style: Greek Revival
Architect: Kinney & Detweiler of Austin, Minnesota
Contractor: Emil Miller of Le Mars
Description: The building faces north and is a three story reddish colored sandstone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Le Mars. The north front has a large Greek style portico with four large sandstone columns rising to a pediment at the roof line and wide sandstone steps. The original dome was removed in 1932. The building houses the County District Court of the 3B Judicial District.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Plymouth County Courthouse
See: The 3B Judicial District includes Crawford County, Ida County, Monona County, Sioux County and Wodbury County.
History: The county was created in 1851 and Melbourne was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was erected in Melbourne in the 1860’s and a portion of the building was used by Henry Morf as a grocery store. The county seat was moved to Le Mars in 1872. The second courthouse was erected in 1873. The third court was a larger structure built in 1874 at a cost of $3,000. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1901 to 1902 at a cost of $70,000

County Courthouse – Le Mars


Photos taken 2007