Decatur

Formed March 20, 1873 (79^th county)

Decatur County (2,770), Oberlin (1,641)                

The red and tan brick and masonry Classical Revival courthouse was built in 1926 and sits on Hall Street between Griffith and Penn streets.  United States Highway 83 is four blocks to the west.  Squires and Ross provided the building designs.  Marble half walls and stairs adorn the inside of the facility.  There was an 1886 courthouse also in Oberlin, the only county seat.  The county was established on March 20, 1873 from Native American Territory as the 79^th county.  It is named for War of 1812 hero Commodore Stephen Decatur, Jr.  The county seat is named for Oberlin, Ohio. 

Decatur County government consists of a sheriff, a clerk, an attorney, a treasurer, a coroner, and an appraiser (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Seven District Court Judges serve Decatur, Graham, Norton, Osborne, Phillips, and Smith counties (judicial.) The county is located in the northwest part of the state on the border with Nebraska.  The county center is 5.2 miles South of Oberlin.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Nebraska and Norton, Sheridan, Thomas, and Rawlins counties. 

The area of the county is 894 square miles.  It is 31 out of 105 in the state.  It ranks 85 out of 105 in population in the state.  It has a density of 3.1 persons per square mile making it 89 out of 105 in the state.  Decatur County has 69.6% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 36 crosses the county from east to west from Norton County to Rawlins County.  United States Highway 83 goes north to south from Nebraska to Sheridan County.  The county is a rectangle and Oberlin is in the northwest quarter of the county.  Oberlin is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 59.2% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced OE-BER-LIN.