It always throws me out of nowhere when a really small town has such a majestic courthouse.  I’m sure this would be more stunning during the daytime, but I wouldn’t have seen the illuminated clock face that way.  Notice again the square tower that I’ve been running into this trip, too.  Overall, this is a … Continue reading 615. Paola, Miami County (KS068) →

Nice Courthouse…  Sure, I have a couple of niggles that the Future County Arborists can take note of, but at least these trees manage to frame things as much as obscure. I like the almost WPA-ish feel of the place.  It kind of reminds me of some of the courthouses in Louisiana more than anything.  … Continue reading 614. Alma, Wabaunsee County (KS067) →

For this courthouse, the roughhewn thing seems less like an aesthetic choice and more of the reality of building in the time and area.  It was built in 1884, and they pretty much used whatever they could find to throw this one up.  They added an extension in a similar style, obscured behind the sign, … Continue reading 613. Westmoreland, Pottawatomie County (KS066) →

Not bad.  Not great, but not bad at all.  It’s quite a serious place and has a sort of 60’s panache to it.  That said, I could never expect it to be a great thing, the center of political gravity, when it exists next to this… …this being the State Capitol.  Also, contrary to popular … Continue reading 612. Topeka, Shawnee County (KS065) →

Good form, Lawrence! I knew you wouldn’t disappoint me! Not only do you have a chonker (as the kids say) of a courthouse here, but the grounds are also lovely, cool and inviting. There’s an ice cream place across the street (right behind the camera) that caught my eye, and you have no idea how … Continue reading 611. Lawrence, Douglas County (KS064) →

Well, this courthouse is amazingly uninspired.  It’s so boring that I can’t even think of any criticism to level at it because its only real crime is being bland, plain, and nondescript.  I tried to come up with something to say about it, but yeah, I got nuthin’. That said, it's my sixth Jefferson county … Continue reading 610. Oskaloosa, Jefferson County (KS063) →

Admittedly, this is a good solid courthouse and normally I would give it slightly higher marks, but you also have to understand…  This shot?  It’s literally my best guess as to what the front of the building is.  Both this and the other side look identical, but there’s no flagpole.  There’s a circular drive on … Continue reading 609. Holton, Jackson County (KS062) →

Future county arborists!  Attend and take note!  This courthouse is surrounded by trees, sprinkled all over the grounds, different types and species to the point that I wonder if the state has this many different species and this was intentional or if this was just a landscaping choice made regardless of the state’s local flora, … Continue reading 608. Hiawatha, Brown County (KS061) →

There’s something about this courthouse that I couldn’t quite suss out.  If I didn’t know better, I would have thought it was a newer, more modern building trying to emulate an older one.  On the other hand, the stonework and carvings make it clear it’s definitely not.  Nobody in this day and age would bother … Continue reading 607. Falls City, Richardson County (NE10) →

Once again, Future County Court Landscapers, trees!  They deter photography!  Quit it!  Or not.  Technically, I’m not the boss of you, I guess.  That said, another roughhewn stone courthouse.  I feel the affinity, just as I did back in Atchison, but not as strongly for some reason I had (and still have) yet to put … Continue reading 606. Auburn, Nemaha County (NE09) →