Cowley County | US Courthouses

Cowley County is named for Matthew Cowley, who was an American missionary and a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in The Church of Jesus of Latter-day Saints.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Butler County

E – Elk County and Chautauqua County

S – Osage County, Oklahoma and Kay County, Oklahoma

W – Sumner County

Created: February 26, 1867

County Seat:

Winfield 1867 – present

County Courthouse – Winfield

Location: 311 East 9th Avenue / Fuller Street

Built: 1961 – 1962

Style: Modern

Architect: Caton, Yadon & Potter of Winfield and Stitzel & Thoma of Arkansas City

Contractor: Law-Pollitt Construction Company of Wichita

Description: The building faces north and is a two story buff colored stone, glass and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Winfield. The north front has a large stone section in the center with a map of the county. On the east side of the stone section is the glass entrance. Brown colored panels run below the first and second story horizontal windows. The roof line is flat. In the interior there is a small entrance lobby with stairs ascending to the second story. The County District Court courtroom is located along the west side of the second story. There is a small courtroom along the north side of the second story. The building houses the County District Court of the 19th Judicial District. Along the south side is the large jail addition constructed in 2006 to 2008. To the north across the street is the one story Courthouse Annex.

History: The county was created in 1867 and Winfield was selected as the county seat. The county used rented premises until the first courthouse was constructed by Steart & Simpson in Winfield in 1873. An addition was constructed in 1885 designed by Terry & Dumont and constructed by Abe Smith. In 1901, Patrick Henry Weathers of Jackson, Mississippi, designed the second courthouse which was constructed by Manhattan Construction Company. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1961 to 1962.

City Hall / County Courthouse – Arkansas City

Location: 118 West Central Street / North 1st Street

Built: 1918 – 1919

Style: Classical Revival

Architect: William T Schmitt of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Contractor: Everhardt Construction Company of Salina

Description: The building faces south and is a two story red colored brick, limestone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Arkansas City. The foundation is native stone. The south front has a wide projecting porch with ten tall Doric columns rising to a wide header at the top of the second story. The recessed entrance is framed with stone and has a small pediment above. A projecting cornice runs below the flat roof line. In the interior the County District Court courtroom is located at the southwest corner of the second story. The building houses the County District Court of the 19th Judicial District and the Arkansas City city offices.