Nuckolls County is named for Stephen F Nuckolls, who was a prominent pioneer.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Clay County
E – Thayer County
S – Republic County, Kansas and Jewell County, Kansas
W – Webster County
Created: January 13, 1860 
County Seat:
Nelson 1872 – present
County Courthouse – Nelson
Location: 150 Main Street / West 1st Street
Built: 1889 – 1890
Style: Beaux Arts and Italianate
Architect: George E McDonald of Omaha, Nebraska
Contractor: Seeley Son & Company
Description: The building faces east and is a two story buff colored brick structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Nelson. Each corner has a large square brick tower with steep roof. The stone basement is raised. The east front has a one story portico supported by four brick pillars. Above the portico is a large arched window with pediment at the roof line. In the center of the building is a high cupola with clock at the top. In the interior, the floorplan is long and rectangular with entrances on all four sides. The hallways cross beneath the clock tower. The staircases are long, narrow and modest. The combined County District Court and County Court courtroom is a square shape and is centered on the west side second story, with access available from both the north and south staircases. The building houses the District Court and County Court of the 10th Judicial District. On the southwest side is the two story Old Sheriff Residence and Jail built in 1878..
See: The architect, George E McDonald of Omaha, Nebraska designed courthouses in Kansas in Elk County; in Missouri in Andrew County, Bates County, Johnson County and Lawrence County; in Nebraska in Fillmore County and in Wyoming in Niobrara County.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Nuckolls County Courthouse
See: The 10th Judicial District includes Adams County, Clay County, Franklin County, Harlan County, Kearney County, Phelps County and Webster County.
History: The county was created in 1860 and organized in 1871. Nelson was selected as the county seat in 1872. The county offices met at the residence of D W Montgomery which was frame structure built with limber hauled from Marysville in Kansas. In 1873 the first courthouse was built. In 1878 the Old Sheriff Residence and Jail at a cost of $7,459 using plans from a Mr. Bostater of Lincoln and J B Randall, of Omaha, was the contractor. The first courthouse soon proved inadequate, and the county rented space in the Nelson opera house built in 1887 as the second courthouse. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1889 to 1890 at a cost of $32,010.
County Courthouse – Nelson
County District Court and County Court courtroom
Picture 1873 First County Courthouse
Old Sheriff Residence and Jail – Nelson
Photos taken 2010 and 2023