Public Art

Artist Statement:

The Blue Earth County Courthouse, completed in 1886, was the second courthouse in the county. The first courthouse in the county, a 20-by-24 foot one-story stone building, was built in 1857. It served as the location for the trial of 392 Dakota Indians after the Dakota Conflict. Thirty-eight Dakota were simultaneously hanged in December 1862. The new building combined a Second Empire roof and dome with Italianate features. The stone was provided by a local quarry, with various techniques giving it both rusticated and ashlar surfaces. The copper-sheathed dome is capped with an 11,000 pound statue of Lady Justice. The statue was last removed and restored in 1990, although more recently in 2013 the statue lost her sword in a wind gust. The sword and statue were promptly repaired.

Lady Justice is a depiction of the Greek goddess of justice, Themis, with the scales of justice and a sword. But she is unusual in that she is without a blindfold and her eyes are wide open. Regular court business no longer takes place in the building. Judicial proceedings were moved in 2009 to the new Blue Earth County Justice Center. Reference: Wikipedia

Location: 204 S. 5th Street, Mankato