Decatur County is named for Commodore Stephen Decatur, who was a distinguished naval office of the United States.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Red Willow County, Nebraska
E – Norton County
S – Sheridan County and Thomas County
W – Rawlins County
Created: March 20, 1873 
County Seat:
Oberlin 1879 – present
County Courthouse – Oberlin
Location: 120 East Hall Street / North Griffith Street
Built: 1926 – 1927
Style: Classical Revival
Architect: Squires & Ross
Contractor: Cork & Ferrier
Description: The building faces south and is a three story dark red colored brick, stone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Oberlin. Along the south are six large columns rising from the second to third story. The entrance has a stone framed door. The first story has horizontal stone. The roof line is flat. In the interior, the courtroom is located at the northeast corner of the third story. The building houses the County District Court of the 17th Judicial District.
See: The courthouse in Kimball County, Nebraska was moldeled after the Decatur County courthouse in Oberlin.
Old County Courthouse – Oberlin
Location: 187 South Penn Street / West Hall Street
Built: 1886 – 1887
Style: Victorian
Architect: Mr. White
Contractor: Mr. White
Description: The building faces southeast and is a two story red colored brick structure. The building is located in the center of Oberlin to the west of the courthouse and was constructed for the Bank of Oberlin. The building was used as the courthouse from 1896 until 1926 and the building is now the Landmark Inn.
See: National Register of Historic Plces – Old Decatur County Courthouse
See: The 17th Judicial District includes Graham County, Norton County, Osborne County, Phillips County and Smith County.
History: The county was created in 1873 and Oberlin was selected as the county seat in 1879 when the county was organized. The first courthouse in 1896 was a bank built by Mr. White in Oberlin in 1886 and is still standing. The second and present courthouse was constructed in 1926 to 1927.
County Courthouse – Oberlin
County District Court courtroom
Old County Courthouse – Oberlin
Photos taken 2007 and 2022