Harlan County is named for James Harlan, who was secretary of the interior or for the nephew of Senator James Harlan, which nephew was a revenue collector and lived near Republic City.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Phelps County
E – Franklin County
S – Phillips County, Kansas
W – Furnas County
Created: June 3, 1871 
County Seat:
Alma 1871 – present
County Courthouse – Alma
Location: 706 West 2nd Street / John Avenue
Built: 1963 – 1964
Style: Modern
Architect: George E Clatton and Associates
Contractor: Chris Lien Company
Description: The building faces south and is a one story buff colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Alma. The building is square with windows that are vertical and framed in white colored trim. The south entrance is recessed with glass doors. The building has a flagstone faced base. The roof line is flat. In the interior he hallways form a square. The combined Count District Court and County Court courtroom is located on the southwest side of the building and on the north side of the hallway and has beautiful walnut paneling on the walls and is carpeted. The building houses the County District Court and County Court of the 10th Judicial District.
See: The 10th Judicial District includes Adams County, Clay County, Franklin County, Kearney County, Nuckolls County, Phelps County and Webster County.
History: The county was created in 1871 and Alma was selected as the county seat. The county has used four different buildings to house county offices with the first courthouse was the upper story of the private residence of Frank Shaffer located a half mile east of Alma and used from 1875 to 1877. The building was moved to Alma. From 1877 to 1880, the second courthouse was a log store built by John Guyer and used for the county offices. The third courthouse was a two story frame structure built by the Alma Township in 1880 at no cost to the county. In 1888 to 1889, the fourth courthouse, a two story brick structure was built by the Alma Township on the courthouse square, also at no cost to the county. The building was later stuccoed and the steeple removed. The courthouse was remodeled in 1922. The courthouse was torn down when the fifth and present courthouse was constructed in 1964 to 1965 on the same site at a cost of $320,000.
County Courthouse – Alma
County District Court and County Court courtroom
Cornerstone 1889 County Courthouse
Photos taken 2010 and 2023