Buffalo County is named for the many herds of buffalo that came to the feed grounds in the region.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Custer County and Sherman County
E – Hall County
S – Kearney County and Phelps County
W – Dawson County
Created: March 14, 1855
County Seat:
Gibbon 1871 – 1874
Kearney 1874 – present
County Courthouse – Kearney
Location: 1512 Central Avenue / 15th Street
Built: 1973 – 1975
Style: Modern
Architect: Unknown
Contractor: Central Contracting Corporation of Kearney
Description: The building faces east and is a one story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Kearney. The windows are narrow and vertical. The building has a flat roof line. The Judicial Building section of the building complex was expanded in 1979 to 1980. The building houses the District Court and County Court of the 9th Judicial District. The architect was Mid-Plains Engineering and Architects. The building was expanded in 2007 with new entrance on the west side. The west entrance has a semi-circular porch supported by columns. The building is called the Buffalo County Government Center. During expansion in 2007, the architect was Goldberg, Sullivan & McCrerey and the contractor was Beckenhauer Construction Inc. In 2011 to 2014, the County Justice Center was constructed along the southwest side and included additional courtrooms.. The architect was Goldberg, Sullivan & McCrerey and the contractor was Beckenhauer Construction Inc.
Note: The County minutes show that on May 1. 1973, five bids were received for construction of the present courthouse:
Lacey Building & Supply, Grand Island $526,892.00
Busboom & Rauh, Salina, Kansas $536,500.00
Central Contracting Corp, Kearney $508,496.00
Weaver Construction, Kearney $520,695.89
Roeder Bros, Kearney $516,150.00
Motion was made by Carranza, seconded by Johnson that we award the contract to Central Contracting Corporation for County Office Complex for $508,496.00. Roll call: Aye-Carranza, Johnson, Freburg, Asher,Lowe, Wright, and Cannon. Motion carried.
See: The 9th Judicial District includes Hall County.
History: The county was created in 1855 and organized in 1870. Gibbon was selected as the county seat in 1971. The first courthouse was a two story brick structure built by H B Dexter in 1872 to 1873 at a cost of $22,000. In 1874, the county seat was moved to Kearney and rented premises were used until the second courthouse, a frame structure was built in 1886 on land donated by the Union Pacific Railroad. The courthouse was moved to First Avenue for use as a hospital and as a home for Veterans of Foreign Wars. The third courthouse was a two story brick structure designed by W E Wagner and built by W T Scott in 1889 to 1890. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1973 to 1975 at a cost of $508,496.
County Courthouse – Kearney
County Justice Center along the south ( right side )
Photos taken 2010 and 2023