Atchison County Courthouse

The courthouse in Atchison is the third of 13 courthouses designed for Kansas counties by late-19th century architect George P Washburn; it was the only one built of stone (the others are brick) and was the most expensive of the 13. Washburn's Kansas courthouses have similar design aspects, although no two were alike; common features include corner towers (round or square), arched windows and doors, elevated porches and central clock towers. Over 100 years, the Courthouse has only been slightly modified. The courtroom was divided and a drop-down ceiling added that conceals a beautiful stained-glass ceiling and arched stained-glass panes over the courtroom's tall, central windows; the jury box and judge's bench are also original. Of particular interest are portraits lining the walls of the courtroom that show the succession of Atchison County judges. Today, this century-old building still bustles with the daily business of county government.