Ford County is named for James Hobart Ford, who was a Union general during the American Civil War.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Hodgeman County
E – Edwards County and Kiowa County
S – Clark County and Meade County
W – Gray County
Created: February 26, 1867
County Seat:
Dodge City 1872 – present
County Courthouse – Dodge City
Location: 100 Gunsmoke Street / Central Avenue
Built: 1912 – 1913
Style: Classical Revival
Architect: Reuel A Curtis of Kansas City
Contractor: George A Shaul of Seneca
Description: The building faces north and is a three story gray colored stone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Dodge City. The building has a raised basement of horizontal limestone stonework and porticos on three sides, each supported by four columns with a pediment at the roof line. A protruding cornice follows the roofline. The roof line is flat. The County District Court courtroom is located on the east side of the third story. The building houses the County District Court of the 16th Judicial District. The building was renovated in 1992 to 1993. The contractor was Rhoads Construction Company, Inc.
See: The 16th Judicial District includes Clark County, Comanche County, Gray County, Kiowa County and Meade County.
History: The county was created in 1867 and Dodge City was selected as the county seat in 872 when the county was organized. The first court met in a rented premise in Dodge City. The first courthouse was a two story brick structure constructed by H S Sitler at the corner of Spruce Avenue and Central Avenue in 1876 at a cost of $8,000. The cost of construction of the second and present courthouse was $100,000.
County Courthouse – Dodge City
County District Court courtroom
Photos taken 2006 and 2016
Images 16*