Hamilton County

US States / N / Nebraska / Hamilton County
Hamilton

Hamilton County is named for Alexander Hamilton, who was a revolutionary soldier and the first Secretary of  the Treasury from 1789 to 1795.

 

Surrounding County Courthouses: 

N – Merrick County

E – Polk County and York County

S – Clay County

W – Hall County

 

Created:  February 16, 1867                  Map of Nebraska highlighting Hamilton County

County Seat: 

Orville    1870 – 1876

Aurora   1876 – present

 

County Courthouse – Aurora

 

Location:  1111 13th Street / M Street

Built:  1894 – 1895

Style:  Country Capitol and Romanesque

Architect:  William M Gray of Lincoln

Contractor:  Atkinson Brothers & Company of Colorado Springs, Colorado

 

Description:  The building faces west and is a two story red colored brick and red colored sandstone structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds of the Courthouse Square in the center of Aurora. The rectangular shaped building is constructed with Colorado red stone. The center section projects from the main building and has an arched entrance on the first story and rises to a peak. The round arched entries are of cut stone, supported on either side by clusters of seven cut stone Byzantine columns. On each corner is a square red brick tower with steep roof. In the center of the building is a tall square red brick tower with steep roof. The interior has a large hallway which runs through the center of the building in an east-west direction and crosses with a secondary hall under the central tower. The raised basement of the courthouse is identified by the rusticated base of Colorado red sandstone capped by a corbelled course of the same material. The terra cotta was used generously throughout the structure for decorative gables, keystones, corner accents, roof edge moldings and parapet caps, as well as accent ovolo molding bands around the building and towers. The flooring in the hallway and vestibule is acoustic tile. The rest of the flooring throughout the building is of hard maple. The ornate woodwork of white oak in its original stained and varnished condition appears on the doors, windows, casings, wainscot, stair railings and trim throughout the entire building. The Commissioners Hearing room on first floor. The second floor is reserved for the courtroom, judges chamber and law library. The building houses the District Court and County Court of the 5th Judicial District.

 

See:  National Register of Historic Places – Hamilton County Courthouse

 

See:  The 5th Judicial District includes Boone County, Butler CountyColfax CountyMerrick CountyNance County, Platte CountyPolk CountySaunders CountySeward County and York County.   

 

History:  The county was created in 1867 and Orville was selected as the county seat in 1870 when the county was organized. The first courthouse was built in 1870. The county seat was moved to Aurora in 1876. The second courthouse was built in 1877 but was destroyed by fire in January 1894. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1894 to 1895 at a cost of $60,000.

 

 

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County Courthouse – Aurora

 

 

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Photos taken 2010