Historic Stutsman County Courthouse Launches Daily Guided Tours April 1

The 1883 Stutsman County Courthouse State Historic Site at 504 Third Ave. SE in Jamestown will begin offering scheduled guided tours on April 1, adding structured, staff-led programming to a building that served as the literal birthplace of North Dakota statehood.

Six tours will run daily at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m., and 4 p.m., each lasting 45 minutes. The tours are free, capped at 15 participants per session, and led by trained staff and volunteers using thematic interpretation. Reservations are not required but are recommended; walk-ins are accommodated on a first-come, first-served basis, and larger groups can make advance arrangements by contacting the site directly.

Outreach Coordinator Stephan Zacharias, who is organizing the program, described the intent behind it: "We are creating opportunities that bring dialogue, debate, and discussion back into the corridors and offices of the courthouse." He added that the varied backgrounds of both visitors and guides shape every session differently: "With the diversity of our guests and guides, each visit offers a unique learning experience."

The courthouse itself gives those tours considerable material to work with. Built in 1883 and designed by Wisconsin architect Henry C. Koch, the Gothic Revival structure was completed in less than a year and is one of only two county courthouses in North Dakota built in that style. Its pressed tin interior is considered the most complete collection of pressed metal in the state and possibly the Midwest. The building is the only remaining North Dakota structure directly tied to the 1880s statehood movement: delegates to the state's constitutional convention were elected there, and meetings to discuss the division of Dakota Territory were held inside in 1885.

The courthouse did not survive its post-government years without a fight. Stutsman County vacated the building in the early 1980s and attempted to demolish it for a parking lot. Local citizens mounted a legal effort that lasted 15 years before ownership transferred to the State Historical Society of North Dakota in 1991. Restoration has continued since the 1990s, and the site now also features a hands-on civics exhibit about local government. The escape room on site is currently closed due to construction.

The new guided tours complement the existing self-guided experience, which remains available. The site, managed by the State Historical Society of North Dakota, is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and daily during the Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day period. Admission is free, with donations welcome.

To reach Zacharias directly, email shs1883courthouse@nd.gov or call 701.328.1883. Additional State Historical Society programming is listed at history.nd.gov/events.