Richardson County | US Courthouses

Richardson County is named for William A Richardson, who was the third territorial governor in 1858.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Nehama County

E – Atchison County, Missouri and Holt County, Missouri

S – Doniphan County, Kansas, Brown County, Kansas and Nemaha County, Kansas

W – Pawnee County

Created: November 23, 1854

County Seat:

Archer 1855 – 1857

Falls City 1857 – present

County Courthouse – Falls City

Location: 1700 Stone Street / West 17th Street

Built: 1923 – 1925

Style: Classical Revival

Architect: William F Gernandt of Omaha

Contractor: Henry Ohlsen and Sons of Davis City.

Description: The building faces east and is a three story red brick, stone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Falls City. The central section of the rectangular shaped building extends slightly from the main building and has four large columns rising from the second story to the third story with an ornamented pediment above at the roof line on all four sides of the building. A horizontal cornice runs between the first and second stories and above the third story. The roof line is flat with small attic jail space. In the interior, the floorplan is +-shaped, which the four entrances reflect. The interior includes golden oak woodwork, gray marble for door surrounds, hallway wainscoting, and staircases with elegantly curved railings, and geometric mosaic floor tile in tan, black, and white. The County District Court courtroom is located on the west side of the third story. The rich materials continue in the courtroom where there are ornate plaster consoles, four skylights with green colored squares of glass, a distinctive vaulted ceiling, and tall wood paneling with dentils. Two murals by J Wilier of Beatrice depict a Pony Express rider (symbolizing the opening of the West) and William Penn meeting Native Americans in 1671. The murals are placed in round-arched frames over the principal entrance and at the opposite end, over the judge’s bench. The wooden judge’s bench, the bar, jury box with chairs, and spectator seating are all original. The County Court courtroom is located on the west side of the second story. The building houses the County District Court and County Court of the 1st Judicial District.

See: The architect, William F Gernandt of Omaha, designed courthouses in Clay County, Dawson County, Merrick County, Pawnee County, Phelps County, Polk County, Sarpy County, Valley County and Webster County.

See: National Register of Historic Places – Richardson County Courthouse

See: The 1st Judicial District includes Fillmore County, Gage County, Jefferson County, Johnson County, Nehama County, Otoe County, Pawnee County, Saline County and Thayer County.

History: The county was created in 1854 and Archer was selected as the county seat in 1855. The county seat was moved to Falls City in 1857. The first courthouse was built in 1863 at a cost of $3,000. The second courthouse was built in 1873 and burned on May 7, 1919. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1924 to 1925 at a cost of $210,000.

Note: The lowest point in Nebraska is the Missouri River at 840 feet ( 256 meters ) which is located in the county.