Bourbon County | US Courthouses

Bourbon County is named for the Bourbon County in Kentucky which was named in honor of the Bourbon dynasty of France.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Linn County

E – Vernon County, Missouri

S – Crawford County

W – Allen County

Created: August 25, 1855

County Seat:

Fort Scott 1855

Marmaton 1855 – 1863

Fort Scott 1863 – present

County Courthouse – Fort Scott

Location: 210 South National Avenue / West 3rd Street

Built: 1929 – 1930

Style: Classical Revival

Architect: Cuthbert & Suehrk of Topeaka

Contractor: Thogmartin-Reid Construction Company

Description: The building faces east and is a three story brown colored brick, stone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Fort Scott. The east front has three rectangular doorways with stone facing on the first story. Four columns rise from the second story to the top of the third story dividing the recessed windows. Above is a wide header. A projecting cornice runs along the roof line. In the interior are tile floors and woodwork. A wide staircase ascends to the third story. The County District Court courtroom is located on the east side of the third story. Behind the Judge’s bench is a large mural of Lady Justice, including balance scales, sword and a scenic background featuring various government buildings painted in 1929 by David H Overmyer. Also on the east side is a small courtroom. On the northeast side of the second story is another small courtroom. The building houses the County District Court of the 6th Judicial District. On the north side is a one story annex which was originally constructed as a jail in 1976 but is used for offices.

See: The architect, Cuthbert & Suehrk of Topeka, designed courthouses in Montgomery County and Norton County.

See: The 6th Judicial District includes Linn County and Miami County.

History: The county was created in 1855 and Fort Scott was selected as the county seat. The county seat was moved to Marmation in 1858 and then back to Fort Scott in 1863. The first courthouse in 1863 was the City Hall designed by Goodlander & Allison erected in Fort Scott on the corner of National Avenue and Second Street at a cost of $3,900. The court occupied the second story. The second courthouse was designed by J H Gardner and constructed by James Thompson in 1891 to 1892 at a cost of $44,000 and was destroyed by fire in 1929. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1929 to 1930 at a cost of $160,470.