Lander County Courthouse

The 1869 Lander County Courthouse, located in Austin, Nevada, is significant as the seat of government for Lander County for most of the county's history. Lander County, formed in 1862, originally established its seat in Jacobsville, a vanished community several miles west of Austin. With the explosive growth of Austin in 1863 the county government moved to the more prosperous town, and in 1871 this two-story brick courthouse was erected by general contractors Bliss & Mahony to a design by Daniel P. Bell. Architecturally the building is notable as the only surviving Greek Revival courthouse in Nevada. The interior features a decorative stairway, grained woodwork, and original jail cells with barred doors. The seat of county government was moved to Battle Mountain in 1979, but the old courthouse in Austin continues to serve as county offices.