Sumner County is named for Charles Sumner, who was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and an opponent of slavery.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Sedgwick County
E – Cowley County
S – Kay County, Oklahoma and Grant County, Oklahoma
W – Harper County and Kingman County
Created: February 26, 1867
County Seat:
Wellington 1867 – present
County Courthouse – Wellington
Location: 501 North Washington Street / East 11th Street
Built: 1951 – 1952
Style: Art Deco
Architect: Thomas W Williamson & Victor H Loebsack & Associates
Contractor: Dondlinger & Sons Construction Company
Description: The building faces west and is a three story gray colored limestone, glass and concrete structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on spacious landscaped grounds in the center of Wellington. The west front has a high center section which extends from the main building and has a rectangular center arch with the entrance on the first story. There are yellow colored vertical panels between the windows. In the interior marble stairs ascend from the entrance lobby. The County District Court courtroom is located on the east side of the third story. The building houses the County District Court of the 30th Judicial District.
See: The architect, Williamson-Loebsack & Associates ( Thomas W Williamson & Victor H Loebsack & Associates ) of Topeka, designed courthouses in Cloud County, Greenwood County and Ottawa County. The courthouse is similar to the courthouse in Labette County.
See: The 30th Judicial District includes Barber County, Harper County, Kingman County and Pratt County.
History: The county was created in 1867 and Wellington was selected as the county seat in 1871 when the county was organized. From 1874 to 1884, the first courthouse was a frame structure moved from Meridian and placed on North Washington Avenue. The building was later destroyed by a tornado in 1892. The second courthouse was also a frame structure which was later moved to 215 West Lincoln Avenue, but has been demolished. The Wellington Township Hall at northwest corner of 7th Street and Washington Avenue was built as the third courthouse in 1873 at a cost of $5,000. The building was also destroyed by the 1892 tornado. The fourth courthouse was designed by Smith and White and built in 1884 to 1885 and continued in service until 1940 when the building was condemned. The fifth courthouse was Harvey House located next to the Santa Fe Depot used until 1952. The City Hall located on the northwest corner of 7th Street and Washington Avenue was also used as office space. The sixth and present courthouse was constructed in 1951 to 1952 at a cost of $650,000.
County Courthouse – Wellington
County District Court courtroom
Photos taken 2009 and 2022
Images 17*