Lafayette County Courthouse. Darlington, Wisconsin
An earlier county courthouse stood on the southeast corner of the same lot since 1861 - a three-story stone building. By 1900 more space was needed. Matt Murphy of Benton, Wisconsin was the remaining trustee of a fund to care for widows and others affected by the Civil War. The fund was not needed after the federal government took responsibility for those affected by the war, and after exploring other options, Murphy dedicated it to help build the new 1905 courthouse.[3] Along with the Civil War survivors' fund, Murphy gave 70% of his own estate to the county for a courthouse. Ultimately, the cost of building the courthouse was more than $136,000. It is the only county courthouse in the United States to be fully funded by one person.[4]
Thank you.
It’s such a large courthouse for less than 17,000 in the county!