Adams County is named for John Quincy Adams ( 1848-1919 ), who was the General Land and Townsite Agent for the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad whose main line was built through the southwestern part of North Dakota.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Slope County and Hettinger County
E – Grant County and Sioux County
S – Perkins County, South Dakota
W – Bowman County
Created: April 17, 1907 
County Seat:
Hettinger 1907 – present
County Courthouse – Hettinger
Location: 602 Adams Avenue / North 7th Street
Built: 1928 – 1929
Style: Federal Revival
Architect: Ira L Rush of Minot
Contractor: Fred R Comb of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Description: The building faces south and is a three story red and buff colored brick and concrete structure. The building is surrounded by landscaped grounds in the center of Hettinger. The building has a facing of repressed Hebron brick with red colored brick on the first story and buff colored brick on the upper stories and a foundation of white colored limestone. Along the south front, the windows on the second and third stories are arched. The east and west side portions of the building are lower. The roof line is flat. Interior spaces are marked by a stone veneer midway up the walls. In the interior is a large lobby on the first story with pilasters and dual stairs on the north side. The County District Court courtroom is located on the south side of the third story. The courtroom has Doric pilasters, many original lighting fixtures,, high ceiling and a rusticated arch over the entry door. The building houses the County District Court of the Southwest Judicial District. The building was renovated in 1989. The architect was Jiran Architects & Planners of Bismarck and the contractor was Capital City Construction Inc. of Bismarck.
See: The architect, Ira L Rush of Minot, also designed the courthouses in Burleigh County, Ransom County and Sheridan County.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Adams County Courthouse
See: The Southwest Judicial District includes Billings County, Bowman County, Dunn County, Golden Valley County, Hettinger County, Slope County and Stark County.
History: The county was created in 1907 and Hettinger was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a two story wood frame structure designed and built by A A Jackson 1n 1907. The second and present courthouse was constructed in 1928 to 1929.
County Courthouse – Hettinger
Photos taken 2007 and 2023