Waushara County | US Courthouses

Waushara County is named for a Native American word meaning “good earth”, or “big fox”.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Portage County and Waupaca County

E – Winnebago County

S – Green Lake County and Marquette County

W – Adams County

Created: February 15, 1851

County Seat:

Sacramento 1852 – 1854

Wautoma 1854 – present

County Courthouse – Wautoma

Location: 209 South St. Marie Street / West Elm Street

Built: 1928 – 1929

Style: Classical Revival

Architect: E A Stubenrauch of Sheboygan

Contractor: J P Cullen & Son.of Janesville

Description: The building faces west and is a two story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Wautoma. The colored brick complements the smooth texture and light color of the Bedford limestone. The west front has four large ionic columns rising to wide cornice. The entrance door is in the center of the Greek temple like portico. Within the portico, the second story windows are larger than the ground story windows. On the sides are small porticos with columns. There is a stone balustrade around the roof line. In the interior, terrazzo floors and plaster walls simulate more expensive materials. The interior plan is straightforward and functional, with the best detail reserved for the County Circuit Court courtroom, now used as the Board of Supervisors Meeting Room, located on the second story, where pedimented door frames, oak furnishings, and tall round-headed windows provide a dignified formality. On the east side is a two story rectangular shaped buff colored brick and concrete addition constructed in 1978. The roof line is flat. There are two County Circuit Court courtrooms located on the on the north and east sides of the second story of the addition. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 4th Judicial Circuit. On the southwest side is the Old County Sheriff’s Residence and Jail designed by C H Williams and built in 1908.

See: National Register of Historic Places – Waushara County Courthouse

See: The 4th Judicial District includes Calumet County, Fond du Lac County, Green Lake County, Manitowoc County, Marquette County, Sheboygan County and Winnebago County.

History: The county was created in 1851 and Sacramento was selected as the county seat in 1852. In 1854 the county seat was moved to Wautoma. The first courthouse was built in 1855. The courthouse burned in 1928. The second and present courthouse was constructed in 1928 to 1929 at a cost of $115,000.