An Appeal To Citizens Of Pottawatomie County   Wamego Times Jan 9, 2019 I don’t know if you’ve ever been in the position wanting to convey something that is a response to the action of local leaders, represents all of the citizens of a particular area and be afraid that you didn’t have the language skills to convey it at such a way that it makes sense to everyone. Well, I’m that guy. I’m 89 years old, been told that I have less than 6 months to live and am not nor have ever been a citizen of Pottawatomie County, but I have a son and daughter-in-law who have lived there for years and my daughter-in-law is a Preservation Architect who has a deep love for historic buildings. There’s been a move recently by a handful of people to make the decision that your courthouse, a literal jewel of the County, should be torn down. They’re trying to claim that it will cost considerably more money to renovate the old courthouse than to tear it down and replace it with a building that will probably look like a first-year architectural student’s project. You’re being told that it would cost more to renovate the courthouse than to tear...

On Wednesday, January 10th, a group of approximately 30 citizens were provided a personal tour of the historic Pottawatomie County Jail and Courthouse. The tour, lead by Shane Jager, offered a good look into the incredible old structures. Citizens explored the architecture, stone, woodwork, vaults, offices, and courtroom. The tour began with the old jail, which is a flashback to days gone by. One single cell still boasts small windows, solid rock walls, and thick iron bars. One could just imagine cowboys from the past trying to pull bars from the window in an attempt to free ‘Ol Gabby....

A board of Kansas history and architecture experts on Saturday will consider Pottawatomie County’s old courthouse, an aging limestone structure with an uncertain fate, for nomination to the National register of Historic Places and the Register of Historic Kansas Places. The Kansas Historic Sites Board of Review, a governor-appointed board that considers the historical value of sites, will review the 130- year-old Pottawatomie County Courthouse and Jail along with a handful of other locations during a 9 a.m. open meeting in the Museum Classrooms at the Kansas Museum of History. ...

The Pottawatomie County Courthouse, whose long and storied history began in 1884 when it was constructed by local hands and stone, will now enjoy the status it so richly deserves: a place on the state’s historic register. On Saturday the Kansas Historic Sites review board voted unanimously in favor of its nomination to the National Register of Historic Places, an unprecedented move that responded to the groundswell of support from the citizens of the county and others who treasure our historic structures and places we hold in common. ...

Live in fear if you walk near KSU limestone buildings, for they are crumbling, if you are to believe a recent assertion by Ross Hill of Belvue, Kan., in an attempt to augment his argument that the Pottawatomie County Courthouse, made of the same stone, should be razed. Perhaps enlightened folks at KSU attended to a previous issue, for they have recently updated and joined by a modern structure Seaton and Regnier Halls, both venerable and apparently stable and functional buildings. ...

Close your eyes for a moment. Imagine something you hold dear, something that would be the first thing—a diary, a photograph, the family bible—you’d grab if there were a fire; something that marked the passing of a loved one—a parent’s gravestone or a veteran’s memorial; a favorite and venerable old tree where you may have courted or were first mindful of the earth. ...

I just returned from a roundtable meeting held to discuss the fate of the existing native limestone Pottawatomie County courthouse. This building is the second-oldest courthouse in Kansas, built in 1884. At issue is the study, commissioned by the county commissioners, that includes an option for demolition of this historic building. ...

A gem exists in Pottawatomie County: the courthouse built in 1884. An amazing structure, stately and sturdy, it can continue serving future growth with skillful updating. At issue is a stated need for more office space and storage; B and G’s study suggests it is cheaper to raze, rebuild rather than restore. ...

Manhattan/Riley County Preservation Alliance, Newsletter August 2017 Manhattan-Riley County Preservation Alliance Newsletter August 2017, Vol. 23, Issue IVDownload ...

Stacks of old law books sit in the back of a courtroom on the second floor of the old Pottawatomie County Courthouse in Westmoreland. A shelf runs the length of the back wall and holds “Proof of Facts” books from the 1960s and ‘70s. The room is typically dark, warm and mostly empty. The volumes have sat unused so long they’re stuck to each other, squeezed tight in their space. “If we took the ceiling out, this here has an art ceiling,” said Scott Campbell pointing up at the drop ceiling with white tiles....