Waseca County is named for the Dakota word meaning “rich and fertile” referring to the soil found in the area.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Le Suere County and Rice County
E – Steele County
S – Freeborn County and Faribault County
Created: February 27, 1857 
County Seat:
Wilton 1857 – 1870
Waseca 1857 – present
County Courthouse – Waseca
Location: 307 North State Street / 3rd Avenue NW
Built: 1896 – 1897
Style: Richardsonian Romanesque Revival
Architect: Orff and Joralemon of Minneapolis
Contractor: T D Carrol of Saint Paul Park
Description: The building faces east and is a three story structure. The building is located on the landscaped grounds of the Courthouse Square in the center of Waseca. The building is 96 feet by 74 feet and is built with buff colored brick and Kasota limestone belt courses and trim. There is a large square bell tower with a flag pole. Its loggia and clock sit above a roof of peaks and gables. At the east entrance is a triple arcade. The interior has oak woodwork, wainscoting. Titled fireplaces, etched glass, paneled doors and marble floors. The County District Court courtroom is located on the second story. The building houses the County District Court of the 3rd Judicial District. Attached on the north side is the two story County Courthouse Annex constructed in 1975 to 1976. The architect was Gjeltin-Schellberg-Johnson-Stadsvold Architectural Design Group, Inc. and the contractor was Hilary Caron Construction Company. On the west side is the County Security Building constructed in 1969 to 1970.
See: The architect, Fremont D Orff, designed courthouses in Minnesota in Big Stone County, Red Lake County and Renville County; and in Nebraska in Wayne County
See: National Register of Historic Places – Waseca County Courthouse
County Security Building – Waseca
Location: 307 North State Street / 3rd Avenue NW
Built: 1969 – 1970
Style: Modern
Architect: Keith E Lorenzen of Blooming Prairie
Contractor: Robert W Carrlstrom Company of Mankato
Description: The building faces south and is a two story buff colored brick, stone and concrete structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on the landscaped grounds of the Courthouse Square in the center of Waseca on the west side of the courthouse. The two entrances at either end of the south side have a black colored metal canopy. White colored pilasters divide the windows. The roof line is flat. The building housed the Commissioners Office.
See: The 3rd Judicial District includes Dodge County, Fillmore County, Freeborn County, Houston County, Mower County, Olmsted County, Rice County, Steele County, Wabasha County and Winona County.
History: The county was created in 1857 and Wilton was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a store located in Wilton purchased for $700. The courthouse burned in 1865 and court was held in a wagon shop. The county seat was moved to Waseca in 1870 and the second courthouse was a brick structure. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1896 to 1897 at a cost of $65,000.
County Courthouse – Waseca
County District Court courtroom
County Courthouse Annex – Waseca
County Security Building – Waseca
Photos taken 2007 and 2017