Osborne County is named for Vincent B Osborne, who was a soldier in the American Civil War.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Smith County
E – Mitchell County and Lincoln County
S – Russell County
W – Rooks County
Created: February 26, 1867 
County Seat:
Osborne 1871 – present
County Courthouse – Osborne
Location: 423 West Main Street / South 3rd Street
Built: 1907 – 1908
Style: Richardsonian Romanesque
Architect: J C Holland and Company of Topeka and Charles W Squires
Contractor: T C Cork
Description: The building faces north and is a three story buff colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on the spacious landscaped grounds of the Courthouse Square in the center of Osborne. The building has a high square brick clock tower in the center of the north front. The base of the building is white colored limestone and limestone also frames the entrances. Local Septarian concretion rock was used in the foundation, with Cowley County Cottonwood Limestone and Post Rock Limestone from Glen Elder used to build the lower and upper floors. The trim is primarily of Blue Sandstone from Warrensburg, Missouri, with some Georgian granite. The red colored roof is steep with dormers. In the interior, the walls are lined with Tennessee marble and the floors are of mosaic tile. Ornate green colored tile fireplaces still decorate many of the county offices. The staircase is located on the north side and has oak handrails. The main County District Court courtroom is located on the west side of the second story. The building houses the County District Court of the 17th Judicial District. The architect was J C Holland and Company of Topeka and Charles W Squires and the contractor was T C Cork. On the west side of the building is the one story County Jail.
Note: Many unusual stone carvings grace the outside of the courthouse. The Lion represents the qualities of masculinity, strength, watchfulness, and courage. Medusa represents femininity, wisdom, life cycle and mortality. The face of an early settler John Wineland, “The Sidewalk Superintendent,” is found on the south face of the clock tower. Wineland came every day to oversee the construction and irritated the stone masons enough that they carved his face into the rock.
See: The architect, J C Holland and Company of Topeka, designed courthouses in Clay County, Geary County and Mitchell County; and in Nebraska in Jefferson County. Holland and Son designed courthouses in Ness County and Rice County. With Frank C Squires, he designed courthouses in Riley County and Thomas County. With Charles W Squires, he designed the courthouse in Marion County.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Osborne County Courthouse
See: The 17th Judicial District includes Decatur County, Graham County, Norton County, Phillips County and Smith County.
History: The county was created in 1867 and Osborne was selected as the county seat in 1871 when the county was organized. The first courthouse was a two-story stone building built in 1872. The courthouse was destroyed in a storm. The second courthouse was a two story frame building built in 1879. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1907 and 1908 at a cost of $54,000.
County Courthouse – Osborne
County District Court courtroom
Photos taken 2006 and 2022