Pacific County, the third county created north of the Columbia River, was established by the Oregon Territorial Legislature on February 3, 1951.  In 1889, promoters arrived in South Bend and began advertising it as "The Baltimore of the Pacific."  On February 5, 1993, the citizens chose to move the county seat from South Bend to Oysterville.
     Construction on a grand courthouse began in 1910 and was completed the following year at a cost of $132,000, Tiffany glass dome included!  Once dubbed "The Gilded Place of Extravagance" by local newspapers, it has remained essentially unchanged since the day it was built -- with two notable exceptions.  In the 1940s, the county commissioners assigned a county jail inmate, who was also an artist, the project of painting scenes of Pacific County's early history on panels in the foyer.  He also painted the cement columns on the second floor of the rotunda to resemble marble; they are mistaken for the real thing to this day.  In the spring of 1980, the art glass dome was cleaned and restored to its original brilliance.  Ironically, the price tag was $144,700, nearly $13,000 more than the cost of constructing the entire building in 1910!
     The Pacific County Courthouse overlooks the Willapa River, with the majestic Olympic Mountains and the Pacific Ocean close by.  It is an architectural treasure in the midst of a locale rich in recreational opportunities.