Ellis County Courthouse
Town Sq., Arnett, OKThis building is historically significant because it symbolized the end of the struggle for the permanent placement of the county seat of Ellis County. With the formation of Ellis County in 1907 from parts of old Day and Woodward Counties, the county seat at Grand was now at the extreme southern edge of the county. To more centrally locate the county government, a contest was held with the towns of Arnett, Shattuck, and Gage entering. In the election held in May of 1908, the towns finished in the above-named order, with none gaining a majority. Gage. withdrew and threw its support to Arnett, which won the next election. Movements were made to enjoin the moving of the records from Grand as Arnett seemed to have no suitable building to house the records. A temporary building was quickly erected and the records moved on 1 October 1908. The need for a permanent building to settle. the county dispute was recognized. Bids were accepted and contracts negotiated. A last attempt to halt the progress by filing a petition for Initiative and Referendum was defeated when the county Attorney ruled the petition illegal. The courthouse was completed in 1912 and finally established residency for the county seat of Ellis County.
Local significance of the building:Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.