Hyde County is named for James Hyde of Vermillion, who served as State legislator in 1883.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Potter County and Faulk County
E – Hand County
S – Buffalo County and Lyman County
W – Hughes County and Sully County
Created: January 8, 1873 
County Seat:
Highmore 1884 – present
County Courthouse – Highmore
Location: 412 Commercial Avenue Southeast / 4th Street Southeast
Built: 1911 – 1912
Style: Classical Revival
Architect: The Black Hill Company of Deadwood
Contractor: Gray Construction Company of Watertown
Description: The building faces west and is a two story gray stone structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Highmore. The west front has a large portico supported by two large columns rising to the top of the second story with a large pediment above. The base of the building is course yellow colored sandstone. The interior is equally as preserved as the exterior with only minor changes. Some of the features include Ionic pillars, maple wood and ceramic tiled floors, red oak trim, copper railings and a wired art glass dome with a copper covered exterior. The County Circuit Court courtroom is located on the south side of the second story. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 6th Judicial Circuit and the County Magistrate Court.
See: The contractor, Gray Construction Company of Watertown also constructed courthouses in Clark County, Codington County, Douglas County, Edmunds County, Faulk County, Hamlin County, Sully County and Walworth County.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Hyde County Courthouse
See: The 6th Judicial Circuit includes Bennett County, Gregory County, Haakon County, Hughes County, Jackson County, Jones County, Lyman County, Mellette County, Potter County, Stanley County, Sully County, Todd County and Tripp County.
History: The county was created in 1873 and Highmore was selected as the county seat in 1884. The first court met in the upper room of the Harris Building, a large two story wood frame structure owned by H C Harris in 1885. The building was destroyed by fire On June 20, 1892. The second courthouse in 1894 was the Franklin Hotel located at 114 Commercial Avenue and built by Ernest Bailie in 1892. The hotel was demolished. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1911 to 1912.
County Courthouse – Highmore
County Circuit Court courtroom
Photos taken 2007