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County Seat
The county seat was originally in Nonpareil. In the spring of 1887 a couthouse was built, a flimsy frame structure, 20 X 30 feet in dimention, one and a half stories in height. The structure was not plastered, did not have a chimney, the floors were made of rough lumber. The furnishings were also made of rough sawn pine by the local carpenters. A large fire proof safe, costing $1,000 was bought on long term payments to be paid with funds from taxation. A small jail consisting of two cells, was built of 2 X 4 rough wood and covered by a roof of the same rough lumber.
Nonpareil continued to be the county seat until a special election was held to move the county seat. After a bitter dispute the new county seat was moved to Hemingford on January 1st 1891.
Acourthouse which had been promised by the people of Hemingford, backed by the Lincoln Land Company, was erected. Hemingford remained the county seat from the latter date until the month of March, 1899, when by a large majority vote of the people, cast at a special election held previously, it was moved to Alliance, where the officials occupied temporary quarters in the Phelan Opera Block until the following July.
In the meantime, the county commissioners purchased from the Lincoln Land Company, to whom it had reverted, the Hemingford court house, at a price of fifteen hundred dollars.
This was moved to the present court house site.at Alliance on the Burlington railroad, and was considered a great engineering feat.
The building was forty-five by fifty-four feet with trussed roof forty feet in height. E. W. Bell, yet a resident of Alliance, superintended the removal.
The photo at the right shows how the courthouse was moved by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad to the new location.
This court house was used for county purposes until November, 1914, when the present magnificent court house was completed and occupied.
Source: History of Western Nebraska and Its People - 1921
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