Jackson

Formed February 11, 1859 (30th county)

Jackson County (13,234), Holton (3,401)                

The masonry and tan brick Classical Revival courthouse was built in 1920 at New York, 4^th, Pennsylvania, and 5^th streets.  Kansas State Highway 16 is 4^th Street in the town.  The courthouse interior has marble stairs and walls.  The exterior has a cannon and a gazebo.  Jackson County was established on February 11, 1859 as the 30th county.  Holton was the site of the 1872 courthouse also since it is the only county seat.  Thomas W. Williamson and Company provided the designs for the courthouse.  Jackson County is named for President Andrew Jackson.  The county seat is named for financier Edward D. Holton. 

Jackson County government consists of a sheriff, a clerk, an attorney, a treasurer, a coroner, and an appraiser (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Six District Court Judges serve Jackson, Jefferson, Pottawatomie, and Wabaunsee counties (judicial.) The county is in northeast Kansas directly north of Topeka, Kansas.  The county center is 6.9 miles Southwest of Holton.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Brown, Atchison, Jefferson, Shawnee, Pottawatomie, and Nemaha counties. 

The area of the county is 657 square miles.  It is 72 out of 105 in the state.  It ranks 35 out of 105 in population in the state.  It has a density of 20.1 persons per square mile making it 35 out of 105 in the state.  Jackson County has 39.5% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 75 crosses the county north to south from Brown County to Shawnee County.  The county is shaped like a capital letter L lying on its back.  Holton is in the northeast quarter of the county.  Holton is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 25.7% of the county population.  This county is in the Topeka Metropolitan Statistical Area.