The City of Primghar is honored to be the county seat of O’Brien County.

The present Courthouse was built in the early 1900’s, but it was not the first courthouse that O’Brien county has had.
In 1860, a log cabin was built on a farm in Waterman Township. In 1872, it was determined that the log cabin should be permanently moved to 40 acres in the exact center of the county, which later became the City of Primghar. In 1874, a courthouse was built at the present location. The building was 35 square feet and cost $2000 to build.

In 1887, the building was replaced by a new courthouse. This new building was 50’ x 54’. As O’Brien County began to grow, so did the needs of the people. In 1902, it was necessary to build an addition on to the building.

On November 3, 1914, a special election was held to vote on building a new county courthouse. The vote passed and in April 1917, the courthouse that still stands today, was completed. The cost of the building was $159,000. By todays standards, that would be $3,522,274.

The O’Brien County Courthouse is a masterpiece of architectural design. The hallways are made of Italian marble and the handrails are finished in bronze. The floor to ceiling windows allows natural light that showcases the craftsmanship and care that was taken to create the treasure of the City of Primghar and O’Brien County