Barton County is named for David Barton, who was one of the first United States Senators from Missouri.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Vernon County
E – Cedar County and Dade County
S – Jasper County
W – Crawford County, Kansas
Created: December 12, 1855 
County Seat:
Lamar 1856 – present
County Courthouse – Lamar
Location: 1004 Gulf Street / West 10th Street
Built: 1887 – 1888
Style: Romanesque
Architect: W R Parsons and Son of Topeka, Kansas
Contractor: Morrison Brothers of Lamar
Description: The building faces east and is a two story St. Louis red colored brick and Barton County stone structure. The building is located on spacious landscaped grounds in the center of Lamar and is 80 by 120 feet. The east front has a small decorative portico on the first story with peaked roof. The center section projects slightly from the main building and rises to a peak. There are large square brick towers with peaked roofs on each corner. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 28th Judicial Circuit.
See: The 28th Judicial Circuit includes Barton County, Cedar County, Dade County and Vernon County.
History: The county was created in 1855 and Lamar was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a two story wood frame structure built in Lamar in 1856. The second courthouse was a brick structure built in 1860 by George E Ward. The courthouse was burned in November 1862 during the Civil War. In 1866, the third courthouse was a two story structure designed by Samuel Cones, A H Gibbs and J C Gaston and built by Charles Van Pelt at a cost of $5,000. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1887 to 1888 at a cost of $32,500.
County Courthouse – Lamar
Birthplace of Harry S Truman
Photos taken 2009