Brent Peterson: Historic Courthouse In Stillwater Is Minnesota's Oldest, But Not The First

The , that stands overlooking the St. Croix River, is the oldest standing courthouse in Minnesota, but not the first. The first courthouse, constructed a couple years before Minnesota was organized as a Territory, was built in Stillwater on top of Chestnut Street hill.

Members of the community came forward and raised money for the purpose of constructing a courthouse in Stillwater. John McKusick deeded to the community of Stillwater a lot to construct the courthouse on December 20, 1847. The plan of the building was drawn by Jacob Fisher and work began on the courthouse in the spring of 1848.

After the work had begun, a petition was presented to the county commissioners [St. Croix County, Wisconsin Territory] signed by 289 persons requesting the work on the new courthouse be halted until the boundary lines of the territory of Minnesota were established or until the people were able to vote on whether the courthouse should be constructed or not. Debate on this issue went far into the night until the following resolution was passed:

"Resolved, that the progress of the building the court house and jail, under contract to Jacob Fisher, be suspended until July next, and a notice served on Jacob Fisher to this effect."

The courthouse construction was halted, but then pushed forward and on August 1, 1849, the building was accepted by the Washington County, Minnesota Territory commissioners in an unfinished condition.

The building was located on the corner of Chestnut and Fourth Streets in Stillwater, having four cells in the basement, one general and two small rooms on the first and only floor, serving for courtroom, Jury Box, etc. This was the first courthouse in the territory of Minnesota and it was the building in which the first court, and after the declaration of the territorial organization by Governor Alexander Ramsey, was held. Judge Goodrich presided at the term of court on the second Monday of August 1849.

The Washington County Courthouse continued to serve its citizenry over the course of the next 15 years or so with no problems. With the increase in population and the need for more space, the courthouse became unusable for the duties of the growing communities.

According to the Stillwater Messenger of June 6, 1866, "The present building [courthouse] is totally unfit for the uses for which it was constructed," but the newspaper thought that it "might be made to serve a useful purpose in connection with a new and appropriate building."

The question was put to the voters of Washington County and a new courthouse was to be constructed. Land was donated to the county on what was known as "Zion's Hill" and the new courthouse was opened in early 1870. That courthouse still stands today as the oldest standing courthouse in Minnesota, but what about the courthouse it replaced?

By 1884, the old courthouse was being "rented for furnished rooms," and four years later the building was vacant. It still appeared on the Sanborn Insurance Map of 1891, but by 1898 the old courthouse was gone. When it was torn down or moved is still a mystery, and why it wasn't incorporated into other county offices is also unclear.

The fact is that the Washington County Courthouse was the first courthouse in the new Minnesota Territory, and its replacement is now the oldest standing courthouse in Minnesota.

Brent Peterson is the Executive Director for the Washington County Historical Society.