Ness County Courthouse

Ness County Courthouse’s architecture is far simpler in design than its near neighbor Ness County Bank Building. (One of its turrets is visible to the right of the courthouse.)

Building began in 1917 and was finished in 1918. I am not conversant enough in architectural history to tell what style this is and the Internet is frustratingly silent. Understandably, the Ness County web pages focus more on the bank building than the courthouse, but their silence on their courthouse is aggravating. I can find only that the decorative wall around the courthouse was a Depression-era Works Progress Administration (WPA) project and that J.C. Holland was the architect.

Courthouse has one unusual feature, little paintings on each side of the building.

The Kansas state seal is depicted above the main entrance.

Windmills, as in this painting, dot the plains. They were the main way to bring water to the parched land. Thank God for the Ogallala Aquifer!

The western meadowlark and the wild sunflower are the Kansas state bird and flower.

The American buffalo is the state animal. Since we now have a state insect (honeybee), a state reptile (ornate box turtle), as well as a state bird, perhaps the buffalo should be reclassified as the state mammal. The Legislature has plenty to do these days, so I hope they don’t bother which such a triviality.

The courthouse has other interesting details also. This is on the railing for one of the stairways.

This is the roof line. I like these. Not every interesting building in Ness City is as well preserved as the two I’ve already discussed, but that topic belongs to my next post.