11. 442 Main Street
The house at 442 Main is a two and one-half story Victorian building having particular interest in its two story Queen Anne bay; its hip roof giving way to a gabled dormer which cuts through the eave of the bay roof.

It contains a wide classical cornice at the top and a modest pedimented porch riding on two slender Tuscan columns.

12. Dawes County Court House - 451       Main Street
The Western Town Lot Company offered one block in their first addition to the original town for the courthouse grounds for Dawes County. Chadron had secured the most votes in the first Dawes County election, beating out Dawes City (Whitney) and Bordeaux, to become the county seat.

In 1887, a bond was passed for $30,000 to build the county government building on this site. The cornerstone for the original structure was laid on December 13, 1887, for the two-story Victorian structure with a tall tower that faced the north.

Questions about the jail and the general suitability of the old building came up in the 1930’s, and a new building was started in 1935. There were questions
as to where the new courthouse should be located and the final decision favored building it off to the east of the old building so records did not have to be moved more than once.

The present building was occupied for the first time on December 4, 1936. It is characterized by its symmetrical and solid mass, vertically accented by its
buttress-like pilasters. Its solid mass suggests Egyptian pylon rather than Renaissance classical influence.