Lyon County | US Courthouses

Lyon County is named after General Nathaniel Lyon, who worked against secession in Missouri, served in frontier duty with the Army in Minnesota and Dakota territories and was killed during the Civil War at Wilson’s Creek, Missouri in 1861.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Yellow Medicine County

E – Yellow Medicine County and Redwood County

S – Murray County

W – Lincoln County

Created: March 6, 1868

County Seat:

Lynd 1871 – 1873

Marshall 1873 – present

County Courthouse – Marshall

Location: 607 West Main Street / South 6th Street

Built: 1891 – 1892

Style: Modern ( formerly Victorian Romanesque )

Architect: Fred Thayer

Contractor: J D Carroll

Description: The building faces north and is a three story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Marshall. The building was originally a Victorian Romanesque style structure constructed in 1891. The courthouse burned one week after completion and was rebuilt in 1892. The architect was Fred Thayer and the contractor was J D Carroll. The original square romantic tower and its clock have been removed from the east end. In the interior, there is a two story entrance lobby at the south side. The Commissioner’s Meeting Room is located on the north side of the second story. On the third story are two County District Court courtrooms along the north side. There is a small courtroom along the west side. The building houses the County District Court of the 5th Judicial District. Formerly the gabled hip roof of the early 1892 building rose well above the flat roofs of additions added on the west and east in 1939 and 1975. In 1974 and 1975, the architect was Stegner Hendrickson, McNutt and Sullivan of Mankato. Remodeled in 1993, the modern building is a three story red brick structure. The building faces north and was completed in 1994. At the north side are narrow windows and a curved projection at the main entrance located in the center. The architect was Group II Architects and Bake Kopp Ballou & McFarlin Inc. and the contractor was LS Engineers. In 2016, the building was extended north with a three story addition. The architect was Vetter Johnson Architects, Inc. and the contractor was Contegrity Group, Inc. On the west side is the County Jail.

Old County Courthouse – Lynd

Location: County Highway 72 / North River Street

Built: 1871

Style: Commercial ( formerly a hotel )

Architect: Allen Morgan and Levi Kiel

Contractor: Allen Morgan and Levi Kiel

Description: The building faces south and is a two story white colored wood frame structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on landscaped grounds to the north of the center of Lynd. Built as a hotel in Lower Lynd, the building served as the first permanent county courthouse. The building has a gable roof over the main section and a shed roof at the rear. The front has a two story porch. The roof is hipped. The architect and contractor was Allen Morgan and Levi Kiel. Beside the building is a large column from the 1871 courthouse constructed in Marshall. And rebuilt in 1872.

See: National Register of Historic Places – Kiel and Morgan Hotel ( First courthouse )

See: The 5th Judicial District includes Blue Earth County, Brown County, Cottonwood County, Faribault County, Jackson County, Lincoln County, Martin County, Murray County, Nicolett County, Nobles County, Pipestone County, Redwood County, Rock County and Watonwan County.

History: The county was created in 1868 and Lynd was selected as the county seat in 1870. The first county officers met in a private residence. The first courthouse was the Kiel and Morgan Hotel in Lynd in 1871 which had been built by Allen Morgan and Levi Kiel in 1871. The county seat was moved to Marshall in 1873 and the second courthouse was a small frame structure built in 1876 at a cost of $450. The third courthouse was a brick structure constructed in 1891 but burned a week after construction and was replaced in 1892 by the fourth and present courthouse.