Bourbon

Formed August 25, 1855 (4^th county)

Bourbon County (14,361), Fort Scott (7,555)                

The dark brown brick and masonry Classical Revival facility was built in 1929.  It sits on a square made up of National, 2^nd, Judson, and 3^rd streets.  United States Highway 69 is four blocks to the east of the site.  Cuthbert and Suehrk are the facility architects.  An annex has been added to the courthouse.  The site has a union solider monument in the front.  The county was formed on August 25, 1855 with an 1887 courthouse also in Fort Scott.  Marmaton was the county seat 1855-1863 between Fort Scott assumptions.  Bourbon County was one of the original counties (4^th county.)  It is named for Bourbon County, Kentucky.  The county seat is named for Mexican War hero General Winfield Scott.  He is also the namesake for Scott County and its county seat.  Bourbon County was the birthplace of 1 Kansas Governor, Jonathan M. Davis. 

Bourbon County government consists of a sheriff, a clerk, an attorney, a treasurer, a coroner, and an appraiser (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Five District Court Judges serve Bourbon, Linn, and Miami counties (judicial.) The county is in eastern Kansas on the border with Missouri.  The county center is 5.5 miles West-Northwest of Fort Scott.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Linn County and Missouri and Crawford, Neosho, Allen, and Anderson counties. 

The area of the county is 637 square miles.  It is 79 out of 105 in the state.  It ranks 34 out of 105 in population in the state.  It has a density of 22.5 persons per square mile making it 32 out of 105 in the state.  Bourbon County has 59.2% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 54 goes east to west from Missouri to Allen County.  United States Highway 69 travels north to south from Linn County to Crawford County.  The county is a square.  Fort Scott is located in the southeast corner of the county.  Fort Scott is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 52.6% of the county population.