Gage County | US Courthouses

Gage County is named for William D Gage, who was a Methodist minister and who was the first chaplain of the first territorial assembly.

Created: March 16, 1855

County Seat:

Beatrice 1857 – present

County Courthouse – Beatrice

Location: 612 Grant Street / North 6th Street

Built: 1890 – 1892

Style: Richardsonian Romanesque

Architect: Frederick Gunn & Louis Curtiss of Kansas City, Missouri

Contractor: M T Murphy of Omaha

Description: The building faces south and is a four story rock-faced blue colored Beattie limestone and Rawlins gray colored sandstone structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on landscaped grounds of Courthouse Square and has a large square stone clock tower rising above the central south entrance. The tower has turrets and a steep peaked roof. The entrance is arched. On the southwest and southeast corners are rounded towers with peaked roofs. The building was partly destroyed by fire on January 7, 1960 and was restored. The architect was Arter and Speece and the contractor was Robertson Construction Company of Beatrice. The building was renovated in 2008 to 2011. The architect was Berggren Architects.

Note: The cost of construction of the courthouse was $90,500. The board also decided to use Rawlins or Rawlings stone. rather than Warrensburg, Missouri sandstone. The Gage County commissioners were actively involved ln the courthouse construction, voting on the siting of the building, getting samples of stone, deciding not to wire the building for electricity.

See: National Register of Historic Places – Gage County Courthouse

Note: The first courthouse was built in 1870 on the site of the present courthouse. The building was demolished in 1889 to make way for the present courthouse.

Courthouses:

N – Lancaster County

E – Johnson County and Pawnee County

S – Marshall County, Kansas and Washington County, Kansas

W – Jefferson County and Saline County