Waseca County, Minnesota - Chapter 9: County-Seat Contests and County Buildings, 1887

Chapter 9: County-Seat Contests and County Buildings

HE act of the Legislature that authorized the organization of Waseca County in 1857, ordered that the people of the said county should determine by ballot upon the location of the seat of justice in and for said county, at a special election to be held for that purpose. Excitement ran riot, for three several towns within the limits of the new county aspired to tlie honor of being the count j'-seat, Wilton, Empire and St. Mary. To quote from the peti of " The Oldest Settler," pubished in 1869 in the Weekly News:

" Men from Faribault, O watonna and other parts of the then Territory, suddenly became permanent residents of Waseca County. Wilton, Empire and St. Mary attained large proportions some ten days before the election. Their streets literally swarmed with black coats, satin vests and plug hats. Money and promises were as plenty as house flies in August. There was ' hurrying to and fro,' among the paper city lots and town site speculators. Loafing young men played euchre on the prairie green, or lounged upon the corners of imaginary magnificent future business blocks in the would-be cities heretofore mentioned.

" Alas, poor human foresight. Man soweth, but God giveth the increase. In this case there was a sudden decrease immediately after the election.

" The precinct of Elysian cast 29 votes : 23 for Wilton, 4 for St. Marv and 2 for Empire. Empire cast 160 votes: 11 for Wilton, 49 for St. Mary and 100 for Empire. Swaversey cast 107 votes : 51 for Wilton, 33 for St. Mary and 23 for Empire. Wilton cast 309 votes: 189 for Wilton, 119 for St. Mary and 1 for Empire. The 'oldest settler' has never found out who that fellow was. Otisco cast 60 votes : 58 for Wilton and 2 for St. Mary.

And as the village of Wilton had received but two less than a majority of the whole vote cast, it was declared the legal seat of justice for Waseca County, and so continued for many j^ears.

After the advent of the railroad in Waseca County and the birth of the new town of Waseca in 1867, some talk was indulged in in regard to the re-location of the countyseat at the latter place. Nothing of any moment was done at that time ; but in the latter part of 1868 the subject being again agitated, it began to crystalize, and a petition was sent to the Legislature for action autiiorizing the submission of the question to the people of the county. This was met by a remonstrance from the friends of Wilton. Nothing definite seems to have come of this.

The remonstrance brought out, of course, attacks from the partisans of Waseca, and counter attacks from Wilton's friends. The war waxed warm and the people of the county were divided upon the issue. But Waseca having the railroad, and Wilton being without that necessary adjunct, and the courthouse and vault at the last named jilace being miserabl\' unfit for the use to which they were put, Wilton had extreme difficulties to

Finally, to add to the discomfiture of the Wilton people, the old courthouse, a miserable affair at the best, was destroyed by fire, about 8 o'clock Saturday morning, April 3, 1869. Fire was discovei'ed about that time in the courthouse, caused either by the overheating of a stovepipe, or by a prisoner confined at the time in the jail. When first discovered it had spread throughout the building between the ceiling and walls and had reached the roof. After brave exertions to save the building on the part of some present, and hard work in removing part of its contents, it was found that the edifice was doomed, and all hands turned to and carried out the county books, papers, records and furniture, and soon but little was left but the empty shell, which lasted but a short time. Several other buildings in the same block suifered at the same time being all swallowed up by the flames. Immediately after the fire the county officers took up their quarters temporarily in a wagon shop, formerly occupied by B. Bundsho.

On the 12th of the same month, a special session of the board of county commissioners was held at Wilton, for the purpose of providing a suitable place for the county offices and records, and in which to transact public business. There were present at this meeting : R. F. Stevens, chairman ; John S. McKune, Robert Earl, William Byron and John Buckhout. They appointed a committee to rent a building for their use, but they reported that but one place could be rented, and that was one owned by G. P. Johnson, who wanted $250 per year for it. Thereupon the board appointed another committee to see for what price they could purchase a building. This consisted of John Buckhout, Robert Earl and J. S. McKune. After a time they returned and reported that the building formerly occupied by John Winters could be bought for $.500, whereupon the chairman was empowered to complete the purchase of the same and pay for it out of the insurance money that would be received for the old courthouse. This was accordingly done, and the old building fitted up for use until such time as the county could or would erect a proper edifice, and the county officers moved into it.

This was in use when., in January, 1870, W. C. Young, the representative from this county in the State Legislature, presented a bill authorizing the voters of the village of Waseca to vote for or against the issue of bonds for the purpose of erecting suitable buildings for the use of the county. The act was passed and signed by the Governor in February, 1870. Under this act, the board of village trustees presented to the legal voters of Waseca the following resolution, to be balloted on either for its acceptance or rejection. Omitting the preamble it read thus :

" That ... the bonds of the village of Waseca, with interest coupons attached, be issued for the purpose named in the act, in the sum of $5,000, and bearmg annual interest at the rate of 12 per centum.

Accordingly, at the March election the people of the villjige gave a hearty asserit to the matter, and the courthouse was built during that summer. During its erection considerable discussion went on about the new building, the enemies of the village saying that Waseca was only going to rent the building to the county, if the county-seat was changed there, and other remarks of that nature. But the people of the growing railroad town went on with their work, and in the fall of the same year it was completed.

This being done the trustees of the village executed a warrantee deed of conveyance to the county, of the grounds and buildings, the only condition of the gift being that the

Then the fun began, Janesville entering the contest as an aspirant for the honor of being the shire town. Aspersions and defamations were as freely bandied back and forth as if they were the most honied compliments. As a specimen of the literature of the times the following is quoted from a newspaper article, of that eventful summer :

" Some fellows at Wilton got up an electioneering document, which appeared at this place on Thursday last, which is remarkable mostly on account of its great length and breadth, and dearth of truth. It is not worth while to expend any time over the gramraarless jargon and senseless twaddle which it contains about the county-seat, but it contains one broad falsehood which it may be as well to simply deny ; namely, that the people of Waseca are trying to kill off the other villages of the county." After showing the folly of that course of proceeding, and disclaiming any intent at all in that direction, the article concludes thus : " But no sensible man wants to pull down any locality, and the soul that cannot desire the prosperity of the whole county, could easily find room inside a flea's bladder for a cotillion party."

But any vituperation, abuse or chicanery could not alter the inevitable, and at the resular election, iield on the Sth of jSTovember, 1870, the people of the county agreed to accept the offer of the village of Waseca, take the courthouse and remove the county-seat to that town. The following is the vote :

It was hoped that on the decision of the majority for the re-location of the countyseat at Waseca, that the matter would end there, but it seems that some parties interested in its retention at Wilton intended to contest the matter in the courts, and to save a long, bitter and expensive lawsuit, the people of Waseca, with the full cooperation of most of the county officers, took measures to learn the result of the election at an early hour. About 10 o'clock on the evening of the election the matter was definitely known, and men and teams were started for Wilton to assist the officers in removing the county property to the new county -seat. Arriving there about 1 o'clock the records, books, papers and other property of the county Avas loaded at once on the wagons and taken to the new seat of justice, in the village of AVaseca. This was with the exception of the county auditor's office. Warren Smith, who had been appointed auditor, refused to move the office in the night, but transferred it the next day to its new quarters.

In its issue of November 9, 1870, the folfowing item appeared in the columns of the Waseca News, under the caption, " The County-seat Has Come :"

" At an early hour this morning, the sound of music by the band and the huzzas of the people, aroused our slumbering (?) citizens and it was soon ascertained that the register of deeds, the clerk of the court, the sheriff and the treasurer had moved their books, papers and recoixls from the rotten old hulk at Wilton to the new county-seat of Waseca County, and ' set up shop ' at the new and elegant courthouse in this place.

Some of the more hasty of the partisans of Wilton, feeling aggrieved, both at the re-location of the county-seat and the hasty removal of the records, etc., to the new courthouse, threatened a contest at law, but on due reflection gave it up, as it was useless to attempt to override the decision of so large a majority of the qualified electors of the county, and the prosecution was abandoned. Considerable asperity was engendered between the rival towns and their faction, but time, the great ameliorator of such disputes, has wiped it all away, most of the Wiltonites having removed to Waseca or Janesville.

The present courthouse which was thus donated to the county, is a fine brick sti'ucture 40x50 feet in size on the ground, and two stories in height. The first floor contains four oflBces, two on each side of a corridor that extends through the entire building froni east to west. From the west end of this hall wa}' there extends a flight of stairs which leads to the courtroom in the second story. The building is a good specimen of the architecture of the present day, with but little ornamentation, but substantial in appearance. In the rear of the office occupied by the register of deeds is a capacious vault, that holds all the records, books and papers of the county.

Codnty Jail

the county, in a sum not to exceed $10,000, to raise the funds with which to build a jail, and to levy a tax to meet the payments on the said bonds. After some delay, the authority being granted, the auditor was, January 4, 1878, by order of the board, authorized to advertise for bids for the erection of the building.

On March 20 the various bids were opened, and it was found that W. B. Craig & Co., whose bid was for $9,334, were the lowest and the contract was accordingly let to them, they agreeing to finish the building bj"^ October 1, 1878. Work was at once commenced, and the building soon began to assume shape under the supervision of C. G. Maybury, of Winona, the architect. The jail was completed on time and accepted by the board of county commissioners, who were so Avell pleased that the}' passed the following resolution at a session held October 14, 1878:

Besolved, That C. G. Mayburj% architect, is entitled to the thanks of Waseca County for his ability and diligence displayed in drawing plans and specifications for, and in superintending the erection of, the jail building in this county."