Republic County is named for the Republic River, which was named because the valley of the stream was the seat of the Pawnee Republic.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Nuckolls County, Nebraska and Thayer County, Nebraska
S – Cloud County
W – Jewell County
Created: February 27, 1860
County Seat:
Pleasant Hill 1868 – 1872
Belleville 1872 – present
County Courthouse – Belleville
Location: 1815 M Street / 18th Street
Built: 1938 – 1939
Style: Art Deco
Architect: Mann & Company of Hutchinson
Contractor: Peterson Construction Company of Salina
Description: The building faces west and is a three tstory white colored concrete, glass and concrete structure. The rectangular building is located on spacious landscaped grounds in the center of Belleville. The west front has a projecting center section with rectangular arch with recessed entrance and windows. A concrete parapet with stylized scroll motifs screens the flat roof. Access to the primary entrance is by a grand staircase flanked by stylized torcheres. The inside face of the recessed walls features rectangular groupings of twelve punched openings with rounded corners. The windows are vertical. In the interior, access to each floor is by the main staircase at the west side of the building, which empties into the main, north-south corridor. The staircase has marble treads and risers, and metal balustrades with stylized scroll motifs. The corridors feature terrazzo flooring, marble wainscoting, and plaster walls and ceilings. The County District Court courtroom is located on the east side of the second story. The courtroom has wood paneling on the lower two-thirds of the walls. The building houses the County District Court of the 12th Judicial District. The jail is located on the third story.
Note: During construction, L S Nelson served as architectural superintendent. The cost of construction was $250,532 of which the Public Works Administration grant covered $112,936 of the total cost..
See: The architect, Mann & Company of Hutchinson, designed courthouses in Ellis County, Ellsworth County, Graham County, Lane County, Pratt County, Scott County, Stafford County and Stevens County.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Republic County Courthouse
See: The 12th Judicial District includes Cloud County, Jewell County, Lincoln County, Mitchell County and Washington County.
History: The county was created in 1860 and Pleasant Hill was selected as the county seat in 1868 when the county was organized in 1867. The county seat was moved to Belleville in 1872 and the first courthouse was a two story wood frame structure at a cost of $3,000 including the lot. The second courthouse was a three story brick and limestone structure designed by George Roper and constructed by Hulse & Mosses and Ulrich Brothers in 1885 at a cost of $24,344. The courthouse was destroyed by fire in 1938. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1939 to 1940 at a cost of $250,532.
County Courthouse – Belleville
County District Court courtroom
Photos taken 2009, 2010 and 2022