Mercer County is named for William Henry Mercer, who was an early rancher and who settled north of Bismarck in 1869.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – McLean County
E – McLean County and Oliver County
S – Oliver County and Morton County
W – Stark County and, Dunn County
Created: July 15, 1875 
County Seat:
Stanton 1884 – present
County Courthouse – Stanton
Location: 1021 Arthur Street / North Avenue
Built: 1973 – 1974
Style: Modern
Architect: Jack Askew of Leonhard & Askew Architectural Engineers of Bismarck
Contractor: Harley Mills Construction Company of Bismarck.
Description: The building faces west and is a one story red-brown and buff colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on spacious landscaped grounds on the east side of the center of Stanton. The building has a brick arched portico on the west front. The recessed windows are arched. There is a wide white colored concrete band around the roof line. The roof line is flat. The courtroom is located in the center of the building opposite the west entrance. The building houses the County District Court of the South Central Judicial District. In 2016 to 2017 an addition was constructed on the east side. The architect was Klein McCarthy & Co., Ltd and the contractor was Contegrity Group Incorporated of Little Falls, Minnesota.
See: The South Central Judicial District includes Burleigh County, Emmonds County, Grant County, McLean County, Morton County, Oliver County, Sheridan County and Sioux County.
History: The county was created in 1875 and Stanton was selected as the county seat in 1884 after the county was organized. The first court met at the Riverside Hotel. The first courthouse was built by Justin O Grant in 1886 to 1888. A temporary courthouse was built in 1908 along the railway. In 1922 to 1923, an addition was designed by Nick Ressler. The building was damaged by fire in 1939 and was sold in 1973 when the present courthouse was completed at a cost of $212,600. The 2016 to 2017 addition was constructed at a cost of $11,000,000.
County Courthouse – Stanton
Commissioner Minutes
Photos taken 2006, 2009 and 2013