This is a lovely traditional courthouse and a welcome pick-me-up after Ponca.  Of course, I am trying to solve a riddle here.  I’m trying to figure out their stance on flags.  They seem a little ambivalent about them, but it’s hard to tell.  I just can’t put my finger on it, so maybe one of … Continue reading 700. Wayne, Wayne County (NE17) →

Not my first Kingman, but certainly the most important one to date. With this, Kansas finally comes to an end!  This was a lovely courthouse to go out on.  The red brick, the rough-hewn stone…  Yes, I’m a bit of a fool for the aesthetic.  But something I hadn’t had to mention in a bit … Continue reading 727. Kingman, Kingman County (KS105) →

Another beautiful example of a courthouse! Even through the scaffolding, you can tell! Unfortunately, what you can’t see from this vantage is the small gold dome on the top that can be seen from quite a distance. It’s a lovely capstone on a lovely building. You can also tell that she needs some maintenance, and, … Continue reading 726. Hutchinson, Reno County (KS104) →

More rough stone and square towers.  As I find myself descending towards the end of Kansas, I feel like I’m getting a lot of the courthouse types that I liked in the first place. There was a cache in the park behind the courthouse, but I didn’t feel like looking for a nano in forty-degree … Continue reading 725. McPherson, McPherson County (KS103) →

Now, this is the kind of courthouse that Kansas has gotten me used to seeing. As I stepped out of the car, the sound of low music piping from speakers situated around the grounds slipped into my ears. It began dawning on me that I needed to be a little more careful around courthouses from … Continue reading 724. Lyons, Rice County (KS102) →

I wasn’t quite sure what era this one was built in. I didn’t think it was the 1930s or 1940s because it didn’t look like the WPA or some retro deco. I didn’t think it was the 1950s because it seemed to be missing a certain garishness. I didn’t think it was the 1960s or … Continue reading 723. Ellsworth, Ellsworth County (KS101) →

The courthouse was alright and all, but I have to admit that I was getting to the point in the trip where I had less to say about courthouses. When I’m running and gunning so much in a relatively short period of time (at this point I had driven about two thousand miles and been … Continue reading 722. Lincoln Center, Lincoln County (KS100) →

Not that Minneapolis.  The other one!  I wish I could say I was unenthused by the courthouse because I was tired.  I was tired, but I could also tell this was objectively not a great courthouse.  Or even a good courthouse.  I guess it’s not bad per se, but I could be wrong on that point. I opted for … Continue reading 721. Minneapolis, Ottawa County (KS099) →

All right, Salina!  You’re killing me here!  So, this is the building I can best identify as the equivalent of the county courthouse.  The District Court and County Clerk are both based out of here.  I guess this is what I’m looking for.  Of course, across the street is the Saline County senior center… Really, … Continue reading 720. Salina, Saline County (KS098) →

Finally! The other Abilene! Somehow, I never expected to make it here. That said, though, I felt disappointed with the courthouse. With its long history of cattle and rail, I expected that Abilene would have built a more impressive structure to demonstrate its dominance in the region. I know the original courthouse was two stories … Continue reading 719. Abilene, Dickinson County (KS097) →