Barton County is named for David Barton, who was one of the first United States Senators from Missouri.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Vernon County
E – Cedar County and Dade County
S – Jasper County
W – Crawford County, Kansas
Created: December 12, 1855
County Seat:
Lamar 1856 – present
County Courthouse – Lamar
Location: 1004 Gulf Street / West 10th Street
Built: 1887 – 1888
Style: Romanesque
Architect: W R Parsons and Son of Topeka, Kansas
Contractor: Morrison Brothers of Lamar
Description: The building faces west and is a two story St. Louis red colored brick and Barton County stone structure. The building is located on spacious landscaped grounds in the center of Lamar and is 80 by 120 feet. The building has a raised basement. The east front has a small decorative portico on the first story with peaked roof. The center section projects slightly from the main building and rises to a peak. There are large square brick towers with peaked roofs on each corner. In the interior, the hallways have wood paneling. The large County Circuit Court courtroom is located on the east side of second story. There is a small courtroom on the west side of the second story. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 28th Judicial Circuit. The building was renovated in 1973.
See: The 28th Judicial Circuit includes Cedar County, Dade County and Vernon County.
History: The county was created in 1855 and Lamar was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a two story wood frame structure built in Lamar in 1856. The second courthouse was a brick structure built in 1860 by George E Ward. The courthouse was burned in November 1862 during the Civil War. In 1866, the third courthouse was a two story structure designed by Samuel Cones, A H Gibbs and J C Gaston and built by Charles Van Pelt at a cost of $5,000. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1887 to 1888 at a cost of $32,500.
County Courthouse – Lamar
County Circuit Court courtroom
County Circuit Court small courtroom
Birthplace of Harry S Truman
Photos taken 2009 and 2023
Images 23*