Courthouses

Updated 8 – 19 – 2023 Warren CO IA Courthouse

Updated 11 – 20 -2023 Randolph CO MO Courthouse

Updated 5 – 4 – 2021

A number of years ago, along with old buildings, I found myself taking pictures of courthouses.  As time moved on, I decided to visit each county in Missouri.  An easy way to track my trips was by taking a picture of each courthouse.  After Missouri came Kansas, then Iowa and on to Nebraska.  I have now finished Oklahoma.

Before I started photographing courthouses, I never really thought much about how they were built, who designed them, who built them, the time period of their building along with other things I have learned.

I have found courthouses built of just wood, of stone, of brick or a combination of all.  I have found newer courthouses of poured concrete.  Some are very ornate and interesting.  Some are just buildings.  Most are just functional.

Some architects must have enjoyed designing courthouses as I have come across their names several times.  Some must have found that once was enough and never ventured into the courthouse design world again.  Those, who designed more than one, normally left their signature in their work.  When you see two courthouses that appear very similar, chances are very good the same architect was involved in both.  This is especially true of courthouses built from the 1880s to the 1920s.

Some courthouses had a different purpose before becoming a courthouse.  I found one that was a hospital before being converted.  Another was a hotel.  I found others that had been office buildings in a prior life.

I found a courthouse that was moved on the railroad from the old county seat to the new county seat.  A courthouse in 1931 was built in a different town because the old courthouse is now under water after the building of a dam.  There are buildings that look like they should be the courthouse, only to have another town chosen to have the courthouse.  I found a county that went over twenty years without a courthouse.  A courthouse that survived an EF-5 tornado.  Several courthouses that survived fires and others not so lucky.  At one courthouse I met a new buddy.

Some older courthouses have cupolas/clock towers and some don’t.  Some were built without for a variety of reasons (usually money) with the idea that one would be built later.  One courthouse removed theirs after getting struck by lightning.  Another leaked water for years before being removed after a county vote.  Others were removed during remodeling/modernization.  In one case the cupola was put to private use in California.

Enjoy the digital images.  You will find that some of them lean.  I’ll let you figure that out.  Maybe take some time and find out some more about your courthouse.  To find out more about your courthouse, check out http://www.courthouses.com

Photos updated 2 – 17 -2022

Colorado 

Colorado has 64 counties.  The first county was established in 1866 with the last in 2001 (not a mistake).  Colorado counties do not have townships.

Iowa

Iowa has 99 counties.  The first established in 1834 with the last in 1857.  The state constitution dictates the size of the counties with a few exceptions.

Kansas

Kansas has 105 counties.  The first was established in 1855 with the last in 1888.  Kansas is sixth on the state list in the number of counties.

Kentucky

Kentucky has 120 counties.  Kentucky itself was a county in Virginia in 1776.  In 1780, Kentucky county was divided into three counties.  In 1792 Kentucky became a state.  The newest county is McCreary County, established in 1912.  In an effort to control the number of counties, the 1891 Kentucky Constitution set guidelines for county size, population and boundaries.  Today, one will find that these guidelines have somewhat gone by the wayside.

Missouri

Missouri has 114 counties and one independent city.  The first county was established in 1812 with the last in 1859.  The City of St Louis voted to secede from St Louis County in 1876.  Although called by many “The Gateway to the West, many consider St Louis the “Backdoor to the East”.

Nebraska

Nebraska has 93 counties.  The first being established in 1854 with the last in 1913.  Cherry County is the largest county almost five times larger than Rhode Island, with a population of less than 6,000.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma has 77 counties.  The first established in 1890 with the last in 1912.  According to the state constitution, a county can be dissolved if all taxable property is valued at less than $2.5 million.

South Dakota

South Dakota has 66 counties.  The first established in 1862 with the last in 1916.  There are two counties that do not have county seats meaning no true courthouse.

Tennessee

Tennessee has 95 counties and became a state in 1796.  The oldest county is Washington, established in 1777.  Chester County, the newest, became a county in 1879.