Chase County organized quite the celebration for quite the building.
Friday and Saturday were reserved for celebrating the 150th anniversary of opening the Chase County Courthouse in Cottonwood Falls, the oldest working courthouse in Kansas and among the oldest working courthouses west of the Mississippi River. After the homecoming parade and football game, coupled with free music and a Victorian-era ball Friday night, the activity list Saturday featured a car show, historical quilt show, food, vendors, a model train display and courthouse tours. The tours were popular Saturday, led by Frances Alexander, Dot McDonald, Ken Grochowsky — and Madelyn Wilson, a Chase County High School sophomore and a fourth-generation county resident. What does she plan to tell her kids about her involvement in the sesquicentennial celebration — or her parents’ involvement in the centennial celebration 50 years ago?
There was more to enjoy in the afternoon and evening, including live music from area artists, a kids zone, beer garden, Cookies and Conversation event and the closing ceremonies — a time capsule, courthouse tribute, fireworks and a free concert from Michael Martin Murphey.
Chase County Commission Chair Tony Hazelton says the excitement was evident across all ages the past few days.
The courthouse has survived two fires and it was narrowly missed by at least one of the eight tornadoes that touched down in and around Cottonwood Falls, Strong City and Elmdale in mid-April.
The courthouse was constructed between 1871-1873 after residents felt the prior courthouse, a log cabin structure built in 1860, was too small for the county’s needs. Architect John Haskell relied on the French Renaissance for his design. Walnut and limestone from the area were used in the construction.
*Click here for a YouTube Short from Saturday afternoon’s activities.
*Click here for a YouTube Short from the Michael Martin Murphey concert.
Photos by Chuck Samples/KVOE News
