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Today this courthouse, now a museum, presides serenely over a quiet town square, just south of Durand’s downtown corridor and riverfront. But in the nineteenth century, controversy raged around Durand’s status as county seat. There was nothing unusual about towns battling for a county seat, but in S-shaped Pepin County, where no community could claim a central location, the fight was especially bitter. In 1861, amidst charges of election fraud, Durand seized the honor from the village of Pepin, and, to cement its claim, built this courthouse in 1874. The civic leaders’ ploy initially failed, however, for in 1881, another election moved the seat to nearby Arkansaw. But Durand still had this building, a proper courthouse, while Arkansaw had only temporary office facilities. In 1886, voters decided to save the expense of a new courthouse, and Durand has been the county seat ever since.
The building is a charming structure, one of only two Greek Revival courthouses left in the state. Its temple front of four Doric columns rises two stories to support a colossal triangular pediment. A blind lunette pierces the pediment, echoing the fanlight over the double-door entry below. Atop the roof, a square belfry with louvered openings makes the building look a bit front-heavy. Unfortunately, aluminum siding has replaced the original clapboard, and segmentally arched window hoods have given way to simple wooden frames.
National And State Register Of Historic Places Listings
HI24823
Architecture & History Inventory
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Petition for authorizing voters in Pepin County to vote on relocating the county seat
1870
Petitioners from Pepin County request to be allowed to hold a vote to determine if the county seat should be moved from the village of Durand to the village of Arkansaw.
Old Pepin County Courthouse Historic Marker
Washington Square, Durand
Petition for relocating the county seat of Pepin County
1861
Petitioners wish to vote to relocate the county seat of Pepin from the village of Pepin to the village of Durand.
MADISON ST, 600 BLOCK, NEAR W 7TH ST
24818
Located in Durand, Pepin County
