Swift County | US Courthouses

Swift County is named for Henry Adoniram Swift, who was Governor of Minnesota in 1863. and who was elected lieutenant governor and then succeeded to the governorship when Governor Alexander Ramsey resigned to become a United States Senator.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Stevens County and Pope County

E – Kandiyohi County

S – Chippewa County

W – Lac Qui Parle County and Big Stone County

Created: February 18, 1870

County Seat:

Benson 1870 – present

County Courthouse – Benson

Location: 301 14th Street North / Idaho Avenue

Built: 1897 – 1898

Style: Richardsonia Romanesque

Architect: Buechner and Jacobson of Saint Paul

Contractor: Deeks & Company

Description: The building faces east and is a two story red colored brick and stone n structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Benson. Two stories and the basement are topped with steep gabled attic and two towers. The major tower rises to double the height of the building. The towers, gables, dormers, cornice and triple-arched entrance are embellished with Kasota stone above the high, rusticated limestone foundation. The building also has Syrian polished granite columns and carved capitals. In the interior, the building is finished with golden oak woodwork, parquet floors, oak wainscoting and marble mopboards. The two County District Court courtrooms are located on the second story with the large courtroom on the north side and the small courtroom on the south side. The building houses the County District Court of the 8th Judicial District. In 1976, a clock and carillon chimes were installed in the tower. During construction, the Superintendent was John Bergstrom. The building was renovated in 2017 to 2018. The architect was Wold Architects and Engineers and the contractor was Sussner Construction.

See: National Register of Historic Places – Swift County Courthouse

See: The 8th Judicial District includes Big Stone County, Chippewa County, Grant County, Kandiyohi County, Lac Qui Parle County, Meeker County, Pope County, Renville County, Stevens County, Traverse County, Wilkin County and Yellow Medicine County.

History: The county was created in 1870 and Benson was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a two story clapboard structure built by A G DesParois of St. Paul in 1876 at a cost of $2,600. The second and present courthouse was constructed in 1897 to 1898 at a cost of $60,000.