In 1854, the county commissioners established the City of Bradford as the seat of the county government. A log courthouse was constructed to hold the county records. The county seat soon moved closer to the geographic center of the county, to the town of New Hampton.
The first courthouse in the new county seat was built in 1865. The small frame building was destroyed by fire in 1880. The citizens of New Hampton contributed $5,000 toward a another courthouse and in 1881, a brick and stone building was erected for $10,500. Later, two wings were added onto the building.
The present courthouse was constructed of Bedford stone during 1929 and 1930 for a cost of approximately $134,000.