Grant County Courthouse

Elbow Lake, US

The Grant County Courthouse in Elbow Lake, Minnesota, United States, is the county seat of Grant County and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This building was opened in 1906, replacing the county's first courthouse which opened in 1878. The original building had four rooms and

a hall on the first level, while the courtroom on the second level was accessed by an outside stairway. One source indicated that trials were held in nearby Douglas County until 1883, though. In 1881, the town of Herman induced the Minnesota Legislature to put a question on the election ballot to move the county seat to Herman. At that time, Elbow Lake was a tiny residential community without railroad access and with little commerce, while Herman had railroad access, several businesses, and a population of several hundred. The election ended up with 439 votes to move the county seat to Herman, versus 369 to keep it in Elbow Lake. This was a total of 808 votes when there were 872 registered voters in the county. Private citizens started building a courthouse in Herman, and when that building was finished, a number of citizens raided the county offices in Elbow Lake and removed all the...

Listen to the audio guide for Grant County Courthouse Free on WIP — starts by itself when you arrive, even with the screen off