Mercer County is named for William Henry Mercer, who was an early rancher and who settled north of Bismarck in 1869.
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 structure. The building is located on spacious landscaped grounds on the east side of the center of the city and 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 building is surrounded by spacious landscaped grounds. The courtroom is located in the center of the building. In 2016 to 2017, an addition was constructed on the wesr side. The architect was Klein McCarthy & Company Limited of Saint Louis Park, Minnesota and the contractor was Contegrity Group of Little Falls.
Note: Court first 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 2017 addition was constructed at a cost of $11,000,000.
Courthouses:
N – McLean County
E – McLean County and Oliver County
S – Oliver County and Morton County
W – Stark County and, Dunn County
County Courthouse
Photos taken 2006, 2009 and 2013