Rooks County is named for John C Rooks, who was a private of company I, eleventh Kansas infantry, who died December 11, 1862, at Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Phillips County
E – Osborne County
S – Ellis County
W – Graham County
Created: February 26, 1867 
County Seat:
Stockton 1872 – present
County Courthouse – Stockton
Location: 115 North Walnut Street / North 1st Street
Built: 1921 – 1924
Style: Classical Revival
Architect: Frank C Squires of Topeka
Contractor: Cuthbert & Sons
Description: The building faces east and is a four story stone, brick and concrete structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Stockton. The building is constructed with Bedford limestone veneer over vitrified brick with dressed Bedford limestone detailing. On each side of the building are four large fluted Ionic columns rising from the second to third story. The entrance is on the east side. The base of the building is stone. The roof line is flat. In the interior the beautiful marble located throughout the courthouse was imported by Lautz Marble Company, and the decorating was done by William Andrews Company of Chicago. The corridor floors are original ceramic tile. The doors and casings are all solid original oak. There are several original vaults throughout the County District courthouse with ornate door casings. In the interior, a grand staircase is located on the west side of the building. The large County District Court courtroom is located on the east side of the third story and features beautiful white colored polished marble and high ceiling. In 1974, the fourth story addition was constructed on the south side. The architect was Van Doren, Hazard and Stallings.
See: The architect, Frank C Squires of Topeka, designed courthouses in Riley County and Thomas County.
See: The contractor, Cuthbert & Sons, constructed courthouses in Jackson County, Ness County, Phillips County and Rice County.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Rooks County Courthouse
See: The 23rd Judicial District includes Ellis County, Gove County and Trego County.
History: The county was created in 1867 and Stockton was selected as the county seat in 1872 when the county was organized. The first courthouse was a building at the corner of Main Street and Cedar Street in Stockton in 1872. The second courthouse was a two story Italian style structure built in 1881 at a cost of $5,000. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1921 to 1924 at a cost of $314,526.
County Courthouse – Stockton
County District Court courtroom
Courtroom during renovation 2007
Photos taken 2007 and 2010