Ashland County is named for Henry Clay’s farm “Ashland” in Kentucky.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Bayfield County, Lake Superior and Ontario, Canada
E – Iron County
S – Price County and Sawyer County
W – Sawyer County and Bayfield County
Created: March 27, 1860 
County Seat:
La Pointe 1860
Ashland 1860 – present
County Courthouse – Ashland
Location: 201 West 2nd Avenue / West Main Street
Built: 1915 – 1916
Style: Neo-Classical / Beaux Arts
Architect: Henry Wildhagen of Ashland
Contractor: Herman W Buemming of Milwaukee
Description: The building faces southeast and is a three story limestone, sandstone and concrete structure. The building is located on spacious landscaped grounds in the center of Ashland. Square pillars rise from the second to third story on all sides. Over the southeast front entrance is a small protruding balcony. On the roof line is a wide stone border with green roof above. The interior plan is regular, with cross-plan halls and stair providing access to county offices. Floors and wainscoting are still the original Vermont gray veined marble. The wide stairs at the north end of the first story lobby are marble, with an ornamental steel balustrade and wood railing. The original circuit courtroom in the center of the third story retains the original maple and oak-trimmed judge’s bench, jury box, and benches. The secondary courtroom on the second story is likewise well preserved. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 10th Judicial Circuit.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Ashland County Courthouse
See: The 10th Judicial District includes Barron County, Bayfield County, Burnnett County, Chippewa County, Douglas County, Dunn County, Eau Claire County, Polk County, Rusk County, Saint Croix County, Sawyer County and Washburn County.
History: The county was created in 1860 and La Pointe was selected as the first county seat. The county seat was moved to Ashland in 1860. The first courthouse was a two story frame structure designed by S V Shipman and built by B F Bicksler in 1877. The second and present courthouse was constructed in 1915 to 1916 at a cost of $134,363.
County Courthouse – Ashland
Photos taken 2006 and 2015