Waseca County is named for the Dakota word meaning “rich and fertile” referring to the soil found in the area.
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 two story structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of the city. 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. A two story building was added in 1971 and an annex added in 1976.
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
Courthouses:
Note: The first courthouse in 1857 was a store located in Wilton. 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 present and third courthouse was constructed in 1897 at a cost of $65,000.
N – Le Suere County and Rice County
E – Steele County
S – Freeborn County and Faribault County
County Courthouse
Photos taken 2007 and 2017