Pope County is named for General John Pope, who led explorations in the area. He was also commander of the United States Army’s Department of the Northwest, headquartered in Saint Paul.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Douglas County
E – Stearns County
S – Kandiyohi County and Swift County
W – Stevens County
Created: February 20, 1862 
County Seat:
Stockdale 1866 – 1867
Glenwood 1867 – present
County Courthouse – Glenwood
Location: 130 East Minnesota Avenue / 1st Street SE
Built: 1928 – 1930
Style: Classical Revival
Architect: Nairne W Fisher of St. Cloud
Contractor: Mads Madsen
Description: The building faces north and is a three story buff colored brick and stone structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Glenwood. The building has a central pavilion that boasts engaged piers, decorated panels and heavy entablature. Upon the central frieze are carved the words: “Built to Perpetuate Civic Order and Justice”. The building is 62 feet by 146 feet. The light sand-coloured brick came from Ohio and the limestone trim is from Bedford, Indiana. In the interior, the hallway wainscoting is Vermont marble. Metal grillwork in the stairway and protective ornament on the front doors were custom-designed. The County District Court courtroom is located on the second story. Walnut with black ebony inlay was used for courtroom furniture. The commissioners’ boardroom and various lobby benches were furnished and decorated with quarter-sawed oak, enhanced with ebony. The building houses the County District Court of the 8th Judicial District. An addition was constructed in 1985. The architect was Rieke Carroll Muller Associates Inc. The building was renovated in 2011. The architect was Klein McCarthy Architects of Minneapolis and the contractor was Contegrity Group Inc. of Little Falls.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Pope County Courthouse
Old County Courthouse – Glenwood
Location: 809 South Lake Shore Drive / 8th Avenue SE
Built: 1866
Style: Log Cabin
Architect: Oie Peterson
Contractor: Ole Peterson
Description: The building faces west and is a one story one room log cabin structure. The building is located on the landscaped grounds of the Pope County Museum to the west of the courthouse. The building was built in Stockdale and served as the first courthouse.
See: The 8th Judicial District includes Big Stone County, Chippewa County, Grant County, Kandiyohi County, Lac Qui Parle County, Meeker County, Renville County, Stevens County, Swift County, Traverse County, Wilkin County and Yellow Medicine County.
History : The county was created in 1862 and Stockdale was selected as the county seat in 1866. The first courthouse in 1866 was a log cabin in Stockdale which is still standing in Glenwood. The county seat was moved to Glenwood in 1867 and the second courthouse was a two story wood structure built in Glenwood in 1867. In 1879, the third courthouse was a two story brick structure built at a cost of $8,000. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1928 at a cost of $153,000.
County Courthouse – Glenwood
County District Court courtroom
Picture 1879 County Courthouse
Old County Courthouse – Glenwood
Photos taken 2007, 2012 and 2019