Strafford County is named for William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford in the mistaken belief that he was the ancestor of governor John Wentworth.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Carroll County
E – York County, Maine
W – Rockingham County, Merrimack County and Belknap County
Created: March 10, 1771 
County Seat:
Dover 1771 – present
County Courthouse – Dover
Location: 799 County Farm Road / Country Farm Cross Road
Built: 1971 – 1972
Style: Modern
Architect: Irving W Hersey Associates
Contractor: Cason Construction Company Inc.
Description: The building faces south and is a three story red colored brick, concrete and glass rectangular structure. The building is located on spacious grounds to the northwest of Dover. The building has a central section with glass walls divided by narrow vertical dividers with a wide concrete header at the top. A wide band runs below the flat roof line.
Old County Courthouse – Dover
Location: 10 Second Street / Central Avenue
Built: 1889 – 1890
Style: Romanesque Revival
Architect: George G Adams
Contractor: Philander Faili.
Description: The building faces north and is a two story dark red colored brick and stone structure..The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Dover. The central entrance on the first story has a large canopy. A large red colored brick chimney rises at the center of the front with a gable at the roof line. The windows are arched with stone trim. On the west side, the building rises to a high peak. The roof is hipped. The courtroom was located on the second story and had 300 seats. The west side has a one story rectangular addition built in 1947 to 1948. The building is now a privately owned building and will be demolished.
District Courthouse – Dover
Location: 25 St. Thomas Street / Walnut Street
Built: 2000 – 2002
Style: Modern
Architect: Samyn-D’Elia Architects of Ashland
Contractor: Brookstone Builders, Inc. of Manchester
Description: The building faces south and is a two story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Dover. The center section on the south side projects from the main building and has a long porch on the first story with four white columns. The center section rises to a peak at the roof line. The roof is hipped.
History: The county was created in 1771 and Dover was the county seat. The first jail was erected in 1773. The court met at different locations. The City Hall was built in 1842 and burned in 1866. The second City Hall was constructed in 1868 and housed the courthouse. The building burned on May 22, 1889. The first courthouse was constructed in 1889 to 1900 at a cost of $30,000 and is still standing. The second and present courthouse was constructed in 1970 to 1972. The District Courthouse was constructed in 2000 to 2002.
District Courthouse – Rochester
Location: 76 North Main Street / Bridge Street
Built: 1912 – 1913
Style: Neoclassical / Beaux Arts
Architect: Oscar Wenderoth
Contractor: Unknown
Description: The building faces northeast and is a one story buff colored brick, stone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Rochester and was constructed as a post office. The northeast front has a central entrance with a stone arch and arched window On either side are large arched windows with rectangular windows at each end of the building. The textured buff colored brick has decorative patterns of contrasting darker brick near each corner. The projecting eave runs below the flat roof line. The building rests on a coursed sandstone foundation. The building was converted to use as a courthouse in 1992. The architect was C N Carley Associates and the contractor was David R Whitcher Builders Inc.
County Courthouse – Dover
Old County Courthouse – Dover
District Courthouse – Dover
District Courthouse – Rochester
Photos taken 2006 and 2014