Lincoln County Courthouse, County courthouse with Renaissance Revival architecture in Pioche, Nevada.
Lincoln County Courthouse is a two-story brick courthouse with rubble stone masonry walls in Pioche, Nevada. The jail was housed in the upper floor, with a separate entrance accessed from the hillside of the building.
The building was constructed in 1872 as the mining industry thrived in the region. The project ended with a financial crisis that burdened the county for decades and shaped its economic future.
The courthouse's nickname, "Million Dollar Courthouse", comes from its cost: $75,000 to build in 1872, and over $800,000 with finance charges and fiscal mismanagement. The county's debt was not retired until 1938, the year the new courthouse was built. The building was designed by T. Dimmock and Thomas Keefe.
The building now serves as a museum where visitors can explore local history and the region's judicial past. Check ahead before visiting, as hours may be limited and access can be seasonal.
The $75,000 bond and scrip issued for the project were charged to the courthouse, and with mining in decline the county paid nothing on the principal for years. An 1880s attempt to repudiate the debt failed; in 1907 the legislature set redemption at 65% of what was owed, and Clark County took part of it after splitting off in 1909. The debt was retired in 1938, the year the new courthouse went up.
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