This photo shows the McIntosh County Courthouse in Ashley, North Dakota, a stately three-story Classical Revival–style building. Its symmetrical façade is made of tan brick with stone accents, highlighted by tall columns framing the main entrance. A domed cupola with a clock-like feature crowns the roofline, adding elegance and prominence. The front entrance is reached by a walkway across a neatly manicured lawn, flanked by globe-topped lampposts. Above the entrance, the name “McIntosh County Court House” is prominently engraved, emphasizing the building’s historic and civic importance.

Easily visible on the surrounding plains, the McIntosh County Courthouse showcases elegant architecture, including the ornate rotunda you see adorning the courthouse like a crown. It is the last of thirteen North Dakota courthouses designed by the Minneapolis architectural firm Buechner and Orth.

Enter the courthouse and look up to see detailed murals painted by A.E. Soderburg, a Swedish artist and designer, on the interior of the rotunda and over the judge’s bench inside the courtroom. In 1919, when plans for the new courthouse were made, the mural project cost $3,650.00, more than half the cost of the building itself!

Yes, the courthouse you see today is magnificent, but the McIntosh County Courthouse was not always so grand. In 1884, legal business and filing claims in McIntosh County were conducted in the one--and only--building in Hoskins, the former county seat. Later, in 1894, all 800 farmers in McIntosh county chipped in $2.00 to construct a new courthouse in Ashley. They called it “The Farmer House” and it served as the county courthouse until the building you see before you was completed in 1920.

After you’ve admired the interior, step back outside to learn the harrowing story of the “Martyr Mother of the German-Russians” at the pioneer memorial in the courthouse square. You can also visit the nearby McIntosh County Heritage Center to experience German-Russian history and see artifacts that help tell their story.