The centerpiece of Nebraska’s 93 counties is the courthouse. During December, all of these historic buildings display Christmas decorations in their offices, and many are adorned with festive lights that shine throughout the month—and often beyond.

Gage County Courthouse: A Grand Holiday Tradition

Near my home in Beatrice stands the Gage County Courthouse, a truly grand structure built in 1892. For decades, the courthouse has been decorated with thousands of Christmas lights, attracting visitors from miles around who drive through the courthouse square just to enjoy the display.

This four-story limestone building is designed in the Richardsonian Romanesque style and features a distinctive clock tower. Its historical significance is noted in the National Register of Historic Places. Even Laura Ingalls Wilder mentioned the courthouse in a diary entry during her family’s travels through eastern Nebraska in 1894.

The building has a storied past. A major fire in the 1960s threatened the courthouse, but a petition drive led by a local attorney saved it, and a full restoration followed. The top-floor courtrooms are magnificent, and a local furniture manufacturer even reproduced the original courtroom furniture as part of the restoration effort.

Visiting Gage County’s courthouse offers a chance to step back in time and appreciate how life was a hundred years ago, while also enjoying the enduring beauty of our local government buildings today.

Minden: Nebraska’s Christmas City

Two hours west of Gage County lies Kearney County, home to the courthouse in Minden, Nebraska. This community is famously known as Nebraska’s Christmas City. The tradition of lighting the courthouse began in 1915 and has continued for over a century.

Constructed between 1906 and 1907 in the Classical Revival style, the Minden courthouse was designed by George A. Berlinghof, an architect responsible for dozens of Midwest courthouses in Nebraska, Iowa, and Kansas. Like Gage County, this building is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The “Light of the World” Pageant

For 85 years, Minden has hosted its annual holiday pageant, Light of the World:

• A Community Spectacle: Local families provide the entire cast, with some participating for four generations.
• The Performance: The pageant uses all four sides of the courthouse for music, plays, singing, and pre-recorded Bible verses broadcast through the dome and bell tower.
• The Grand Finale: Performances begin the Saturday after Thanksgiving and continue through the first two Sundays in December. After the final notes of the Hallelujah Chorus, a dazzling burst of 1,000,000 lights illuminates the courthouse.

While crowds today are smaller than the 10,000-person audiences of decades past, the event remains a cherished tradition. Pre- and post-pageant gatherings take place around the square, often at the community’s historic Opera House. One local resident shared last year, “I hope it gives people a 30-minute break from today’s staggering news from around the world.” Tis the season, and we all sorely need that pause.

Photos of these festive displays are available on social media.

—Dean Settle