Cass County Courthouse

Cass County was organized in 1873 and Fargo was selected as the county seat. The first county courthouse was built in 1874 and located at the present site of the Northern Pacific Depot. The building was moved to First Avenue South between Seventh and Eighth Streets and used as a YMCA and then a boarding house until it was torn down in 1967. The picture above left is from the State Historical Society of North Dakota Museum Collection A5802-01. The picture is one-half of a stereoview by F. J. Haynes taken in March 1879.

The courthouse in about 1880 can be seen here in the upper left of the picture.

A second county courthouse was built on Third Avenue South between Ninth and Tenth Streets. That courthouse is seen in the photograph above right. The 1883 Fargo City Directory states that the courthouse was under construction at that time. The estimated coast was $50,000. It was designed by the architectural firm Daniels & Proctor. Contractors for the masonry was Megar & Kelly. The building was under renovations when it burned down on November 17, 1903.

The third Cass County courthouse (pictured in the postcard right) was built on the same site as the second courthouse (Third Avenue South between Ninth and Tenth Streets). It opened for business on July 31,1906. The building was 70x109 feet. It was built at a cost of $141,000.

For more information about the Cass County government, visit their website.