Custer in Custer County, South Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Custer County Courthouse

Dakota Territory, 1881

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 9, 2018

1. 1881 Custer County Courthouse Marker

Inscription. This property is listed in the

National Register
of Historic Places

by the United States
Department of the Interior

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Buildings. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1881.

Location. 43° 45.971′ N, 103° 36.091′ W. Marker is in Custer, South Dakota, in Custer County. It is on Mount Rushmore Road (U.S. 16A) east of North 4th Street, on the right when traveling west. Marker is a National Register of Historical Places plaque, mounted at eye-level, directly on the front wall of the subject courthouse, just to the right of the main front entrance. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 411 Mount Rushmore Road, Custer SD 57730, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in West River

and in Greater Rapid City.

It is also in the American Black Hills,

in the Lewis & Clark Corridor,

on the prairies,

and on the Northern Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the

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Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Dedicated to All Veterans (within shouting distance of this marker); Way Park (within shouting distance of this marker); Horace N. Ross (within shouting distance of this marker); L. Cpl. Cody Glenn Engen (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); First National Bank of Dakota Territory (about 700 feet away); Frontier Protection (approx. 0.2 miles away); Miners Meet 1875 (approx. 0.6 miles away); Everything changes, or does it? (approx. 2.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Custer.

Regarding Custer County Courthouse. The Custer County Courthouse building, of Italianate-design, was built in 1880, constructed with bricks from a local kiln. It opened January 1881 in Custer City, Custer County, Dakota Territory, eight years before South Dakota became a state. This building was the hub of Custer County development from 1881 to 1974, serving not only as a center for

1881 Custer County Courthouse (<i>front view; marker is visible just right of entrance</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 9, 2018

2. 1881 Custer County Courthouse (front view; marker is visible just right of entrance)

government, but also in early years as a meeting place for church services, socials and community activities. Justice was dispensed from this building for 92 years until it was given to the Custer County Historical Society in 1973.
National Register of Historic Places (1972)

Also see . . .
1. National Historic Places of Custer County. SDPB website entry:
One of the oldest buildings in the Black Hills to be listed on this National Register is the 137-year old Courthouse Museum in Custer. It was the first historical site to be listed on the National Register. (Submitted on July 11, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. 1881 Courthouse Museum. Custer County Historical Society website entry:
Following the announcement in 1973 by Custer County Board of Commissioners that a new courthouse would be built and the old building retired, the Custer County Historical Society initiated a petition throughout the county requesting that the old historical building be turned over to the Society and be converted into a museum to preserve the history of the Southern Black Hills. Over the next two years,

1881 Custer County Courthouse (<i>southwest corner view</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 10, 2018

3. 1881 Custer County Courthouse (southwest corner view)

The 1881 Custer County Courthouse is now home to the Custer County Museum.

the transformation of Custer County government took place and in the year 1975 the new building was complete and the old courthouse was vacant. It was that year the museum was born, and serves as the permanent repository of the vast and fascinating history of Custer County, South Dakota. (Submitted on July 11, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

1881 Custer County Courthouse (<i>southeast corner view</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 10, 2018

4. 1881 Custer County Courthouse (southeast corner view)

1975 Custer County Courthouse (<i>across street from 1881 Custer County Courthouse Museum</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 10, 2018

5. 1975 Custer County Courthouse (across street from 1881 Custer County Courthouse Museum)

Credits. This page was last revised on July 11, 2022. It was originally submitted on July 10, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 488 times since then and 31 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on July 11, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.