Merrick County is named for Elvira Merrick, who was the wife of Henry W DePuy, a territorial legislator.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Nance County and Platte County
E – Polk County and Hamilton County
S – Hamilton County
W – Hall County and Howard County
Created: November 4, 1858 
County Seat:
Elvira 1858 – 1869
Central City 1869 – present
County Courthouse – Central City
Location: 1510 18th Street / 15th Avenue
Built: 1913 – 1914
Style: Classical Revival
Architect: William F Gernandt of Omaha
Contractor: H Elenberger & Company of Chicago, Illinois
Description: The building faces west and is a two story brick, stone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Central City. The building has a raised limestone and granite basement. The west central section projects and has two limestone columns rising from the first to the second story with a pediment above. The east and wings have a columns and the corner sections rise to a small pediment. The base of the building is stone. The roof line of the main section is flat. In the interior, the central hallway on the first story is cross-shaped. East and west halls are short stubs. On the north is a large vestibule separated from the hall by double doors, and on the south are stairs to the upper stories and down to the south door. The original metal light fixture hangs from the center of the main hall and has eight globes. Grey mottled marble is used for wainscoting and stair treads, dark wood for counters, transoms, office doors with a single pane, large top and side lights for some doors, and beveled glass for the double entry doors. Other features include hexagonal floor tile with a regularly spaced pattern in b1ack, tan, rust, and ocher and a border pattern. The district courtroom is located on the second story, and has a small gallery located on the partial top floor and now used for storage. The building houses the District Court and County Court of the 5th Judicial District. On the east side is a one story addition of white colored stone constructed in 2007. The architect was Carlson West Provonda Architects of Omaha.
See: The architect, William F Gernandt of Omaha, designed courthouses in Clay County, Dawson County, Pawnee County, Phelps County, Polk County, Richardson County, Sarpy County, Valley County and Webster County.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Merrick County Courthouse
See: The 5th Judicial District includes Boone County, Butler County, Colfax County, Hamilton County, Nance County, Platte County, Polk County, Saunders County, Seward County and York County.
History: The county was created in 1857 and Elvira was designated as the county seat in 1863 when the county was organized. The county seat was moved to Central City in 1869. The first courthouse, a two-story brick building on the courthouse square, was built by Charles Lightfoot in i87I. By 1909 all its walls were badly cracked. The second courthouse was constructed in 1912 to 1915 at a cost of $100,000.
County Courthouse – Central City
Photos taken 2010