Osage County is named for the Osage River which is named after the French corruption of the name of the Native American tribe “Washazhe”.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Callaway County
E – Gasonade County
S – Maries County
W – Miller County and Cole County
Created: January 29, 1841
County Seat:
Linn 1841 – present
County Courthouse – Linn
Location: 106 East Main Street / 1st Street
Built: 1923 – 1925
Style: Federalist
Architect: Henry H Hohenschild
Contractor: McCarthy Construction Company
Description: The building faces north and is a three story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building has a raised basement which is at ground level on the south side. The north front has a large portico supported by four high brick pillars and has a balcony on the third story. The recessed entrance has stone trim. A cornice runs below the third story windows. The building descends south down a slope. The roof line is flat. In the interior, the County Circuit Court courtroom is located along the south side of the third story. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 20th Judicial Circuit.
See: The architect, Henry H Hohenschild, also designed courthouses in Barry County, Christian County, Pemiscot County, Pike County, Pulaski County, Scott County and Washington County.
See: The 20th Judicial District covers Franklin County and Gasconade County.
History: The county was created in 1841 and Linn was selected as the county seat. The first courts were held in private homes. In 1843 to 1844, the first courthouse was a two story brick structure designed by George Cretzinger and built by William Young and John Burch of Jefferson City at a cost of $3,421. There were fireplaces in each of the four rooms on the first floor. A stone wall was built around the courthouse yard in 1854, and a fence was added in 1860. The building was repaired in 1867. In 1872 to 1874, the second courthouse was designed by Louis Trentmann and built by Trentmann, Narup and Company of Washington on the south side of the square at a cost of $25,000. The superintendent was W A Weeks. The old courthouse was sold to J K Kidd. The second courthouse was damaged by fire on November 14, 1880 and the third courthouse was designed by Joseph B Goesse and Frederick J Rimmers of St Louis and built in 1880 to 1881 by H H Beinke of Washington at a cost of $13,000. The courthouse was destroyed by fire on October 30, 1922. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1923 to 1925 at a cost of $85,000.
County Office Building – Linn
Location: 205 East Main Street
Built: 2008 – 2009
Style: Modern
Architect: Archetype Design Group of Leawood, Kansas
Contractor: Verslues Construction Company Inc. of Jefferson City
Description: The building faces south and is a two story fieldstone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Linn to the east of the courthouse. The south front has horizontal windows with a central entrance on the first story.
County Courthouse – Linn
County Circuit Court courtroom
County Office Building – Linn
Photos taken 2009, 2023 and 2026
Images 15*