Bourbon County, Kansas

County in Kansas, United States

County in Kansas

Bourbon County

County

Bourbon County Courthouse in Fort Scott (2016)

Location within the U.S. state of Kansas

Kansas's location within the U.S.

Coordinates: Coordinates: 37°51′N 94°51′W﻿ / ﻿37.850°N 94.850°W﻿ / 37.850; -94.850
Country|  United States
State|  Kansas
Founded| August 25, 1855
Named for| Bourbon County, Kentucky
Seat| Fort Scott
Largest city| Fort Scott
Area

• Total| 639 sq mi (1,660 km2)
• Land| 635 sq mi (1,640 km2)
• Water| 3.6 sq mi (9 km2)  0.6%%
Population

(2020)[1]

• Total| 14,360
• Density| 22.6/sq mi (8.7/km2)
Time zone| UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−5 (CDT)
Area code| 620
Congressional district| 2nd
Website| BourbonCountyKS.org

Bourbon County (county code BB) is a county located in Southeast Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 14,360.[1] Its county seat and most populous city is Fort Scott.[2]

## Contents

* 1 History
* 1.1 Early history
* 1.2 19th century
* 1.3 21st century
* 2 Geography
* 2.1 Adjacent counties
* 2.2 National protected area
* 2.3 Major highways
* 3 Demographics
* 4 Government
* 4.1 Presidential elections
* 4.2 Laws
* 5 Education
* 5.1 Colleges
* 5.2 Unified school districts
* 6 Communities
* 6.1 Cities
* 6.2 Unincorporated communities
* 6.3 Townships
* 7 Notable people
* 8 See also
* 9 References
* 10 Further reading
* 11 External links

## History

[edit | edit source]

### Early history

[edit | edit source]

See also: History of Kansas

For many millennia, the Great Plains of North America was inhabited by nomadic Native Americans. From the 16th century to 18th century, the Kingdom of France claimed ownership of large parts of North America. In 1762, after the French and Indian War, France secretly ceded New France to Spain, per the Treaty of Fontainebleau.

### 19th century

[edit | edit source]

In 1802, Spain returned most of the land to France, but keeping title to about 7,500 square miles. In 1803, most of the land for modern day Kansas was acquired by the United States from France as part of the 828,000 square mile Louisiana Purchase for 2.83 cents per acre.

In 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized, then in 1861 Kansas became the 34th U.S. state. In 1855, Bourbon County was established.

### 21st century

[edit | edit source]

Bourbon virus, a new strain of thogotovirus, was first discovered in Bourbon County. In the spring of 2014 an otherwise healthy man was bitten by a tick, contracting the virus, dying 11 days later from organ failure.[3][4]

## Geography

[edit | edit source]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 639 square miles (1,660 km2), of which 635 square miles (1,640 km2) is land and 3.6 square miles (9.3 km2) (0.6%) is water.[5]

### Adjacent counties

[edit | edit source]

* Linn County (north)
* Vernon County, Missouri (east)
* Crawford County (south)
* Neosho County (southwest)
* Allen County (west)
* Anderson County (northwest)

### National protected area

[edit | edit source]

* Fort Scott National Historic Site

### Major highways

[edit | edit source]

Sources: National Atlas,[6] U.S. Census Bureau[7]

* U.S. Route 54
* U.S. Route 69
* Kansas Highway 3
* Kansas Highway 7
* Kansas Highway 31
* Kansas Highway 39
* Kansas Highway 65

## Demographics

[edit | edit source]

Historical population

Census | Pop. |  | %±
1860| 6,101| | —
1870| 15,076| | 147.1%
1880| 19,591| | 29.9%
1890| 28,575| | 45.9%
1900| 24,712| | −13.5%
1910| 24,007| | −2.9%
1920| 23,198| | −3.4%
1930| 22,386| | −3.5%
1940| 20,944| | −6.4%
1950| 19,153| | −8.6%
1960| 16,090| | −16.0%
1970| 15,215| | −5.4%
1980| 15,969| | 5.0%
1990| 14,966| | −6.3%
2000| 15,379| | 2.8%
2010| 15,173| | −1.3%
2020| 14,360| | −5.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10]
1990-2000[11] 2010-2020[1]
Population pyramid

As of the 2000 census,[12] there were 15,379 people, 6,161 households, and 4,127 families residing in the county. The population density was 24 people per square mile (9/km2). There were 7,135 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile (4/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 94.06% White, 3.08% Black or African American, 0.84% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.28% from other races, and 1.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.29% of the population.

There were 6,161 households, out of which 30.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.50% were married couples living together, 9.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.00% were non-families. 29.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.80% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 24.20% from 25 to 44, 22.30% from 45 to 64, and 18.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 93.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,199, and the median income for a family was $39,239. Males had a median income of $27,043 versus $20,983 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,393. About 9.50% of families and 13.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.00% of those under age 18 and 13.40% of those age 65 or over.

## Government

[edit | edit source]

### Presidential elections

[edit | edit source]

Bourbon County is a strongly Republican county. Only six presidential elections from 1888 to the present have resulted in Republicans failing to win the county, with the last of these being in 1964.

United States presidential election results for Bourbon County, Kansas[13] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party

|
|
|

No. | % | No. | % | No. | %
2020 | 5,023  | 75.24% | 1,541  | 23.08%  | 112  | 1.68%
2016 | 4,424  | 72.61% | 1,336  | 21.93%  | 333  | 5.47%
2012 | 4,102  | 65.59% | 1,996  | 31.92%  | 156  | 2.49%
2008 | 4,240  | 62.53% | 2,394  | 35.30%  | 147  | 2.17%
2004 | 4,372  | 65.39% | 2,216  | 33.14%  | 98  | 1.47%
2000 | 3,852  | 61.07% | 2,211  | 35.05%  | 245  | 3.88%
1996 | 3,318  | 50.17% | 2,491  | 37.66%  | 805  | 12.17%
1992 | 2,876  | 40.17% | 2,509  | 35.05%  | 1,774  | 24.78%
1988 | 3,660  | 57.80% | 2,623  | 41.42%  | 49  | 0.77%
1984 | 4,858  | 68.40% | 2,175  | 30.63%  | 69  | 0.97%
1980 | 4,263  | 59.22% | 2,605  | 36.19%  | 331  | 4.60%
1976 | 3,589  | 51.80% | 3,237  | 46.72%  | 103  | 1.49%
1972 | 4,776  | 70.09% | 1,912  | 28.06%  | 126  | 1.85%
1968 | 3,983  | 56.87% | 2,241  | 32.00%  | 780  | 11.14%
1964 | 3,290  | 44.93%  | 3,980  | 54.35% | 53  | 0.72%
1960 | 5,062  | 63.03% | 2,928  | 36.46%  | 41  | 0.51%
1956 | 5,306  | 62.39% | 3,151  | 37.05%  | 47  | 0.55%
1952 | 5,785  | 65.26% | 3,023  | 34.10%  | 56  | 0.63%
1948 | 4,225  | 51.43% | 3,879  | 47.22%  | 111  | 1.35%
1944 | 4,790  | 56.68% | 3,622  | 42.86%  | 39  | 0.46%
1940 | 5,751  | 53.61% | 4,898  | 45.66%  | 78  | 0.73%
1936 | 5,402  | 48.58%  | 5,714  | 51.38% | 4  | 0.04%
1932 | 4,277  | 42.62%  | 5,577  | 55.58% | 181  | 1.80%
1928 | 7,251  | 75.88% | 2,223  | 23.26%  | 82  | 0.86%
1924 | 4,210  | 48.96% | 2,850  | 33.15%  | 1,538  | 17.89%
1920 | 4,194  | 52.09% | 3,632  | 45.11%  | 225  | 2.79%
1916 | 3,370  | 37.58%  | 5,209  | 58.09% | 388  | 4.33%
1912 | 1,448  | 27.04%  | 2,209  | 41.25% | 1,698  | 31.71%
1908 | 2,695  | 47.83% | 2,686  | 47.67%  | 253  | 4.49%
1904 | 3,234  | 59.26% | 1,808  | 33.13%  | 415  | 7.60%
1900 | 3,024  | 51.36% | 2,799  | 47.54%  | 65  | 1.10%
1896 | 2,900  | 48.20%  | 3,067  | 50.97% | 50  | 0.83%
1892 | 2,803  | 49.24%  | 0  | 0.00%  | 2,889  | 50.76%
1888 | 3,569  | 57.07% | 1,831  | 29.28%  | 854  | 13.66%

### Laws

[edit | edit source]

Following amendment to the Kansas Constitution in 1986, the county remained a prohibition, or "dry", county until 1992, when voters approved the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink with a 30% food sales requirement.[14]

## Education

[edit | edit source]

### Colleges

[edit | edit source]

* Fort Scott Community College

### Unified school districts

[edit | edit source]

* Fort Scott USD 234
* Uniontown USD 235

## Communities

[edit | edit source]

2005 KDOT Map of Bourbon County (map legend)

### Cities

[edit | edit source]

* Bronson
* Fort Scott
* Fulton
* Mapleton
* Redfield
* Uniontown

### Unincorporated communities

[edit | edit source]

* Barnesville
* Berlin (no longer exists)
* Devon
* Garland
* Godfrey
* Hammond
* Harding
* Hiattville
* Hidden Valley
* Hollister (no longer exists)
* Marmaton
* Pawnee Station
* Ronald (Walkertown)
* Xenia
* Xerox

### Townships

[edit | edit source]

Bourbon County is divided into eleven townships. The city of Fort Scott is considered governmentally independent and is excluded from the census figures for the townships. In the following table, the population center is the largest city (or cities) included in that township's population total, if it is of a significant size.

Township | FIPS | Population
center  | Population | Population
density
/km2 (/sq mi) | Land area
km2 (sq mi) | Water area
km2 (sq mi) | Water %  | Geographic coordinates

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Drywood | 18750 |  | 394 | 3 (8) | 120 (47) | 0 (0) | 0.19% | 37°43′19″N 94°40′36″W﻿ / ﻿37.72194°N 94.67667°W﻿ / 37.72194; -94.67667
Franklin | 24300 |  | 312 | 2 (4) | 185 (71) | 0 (0) | 0.13% | 37°59′41″N 94°59′14″W﻿ / ﻿37.99472°N 94.98722°W﻿ / 37.99472; -94.98722
Freedom | 24600 | Fulton | 505 | 4 (12) | 113 (44) | 0 (0) | 0.17% | 38°0′4″N 94°44′45″W﻿ / ﻿38.00111°N 94.74583°W﻿ / 38.00111; -94.74583
Marion | 44650 | Bronson,
Uniontown | 1,165 | 4 (12) | 259 (100) | 0 (0) | 0.19% | 37°51′14″N 95°1′12″W﻿ / ﻿37.85389°N 95.02000°W﻿ / 37.85389; -95.02000
Marmaton | 44900 |  | 815 | 6 (15) | 145 (56) | 0 (0) | 0.13% | 37°48′57″N 94°50′16″W﻿ / ﻿37.81583°N 94.83778°W﻿ / 37.81583; -94.83778
Mill Creek | 46675 |  | 472 | 3 (9) | 136 (52) | 1 (0) | 0.42% | 37°54′45″N 94°50′14″W﻿ / ﻿37.91250°N 94.83722°W﻿ / 37.91250; -94.83722
Osage | 53100 |  | 394 | 3 (8) | 125 (48) | 0 (0) | 0.16% | 37°58′40″N 94°39′33″W﻿ / ﻿37.97778°N 94.65917°W﻿ / 37.97778; -94.65917
Pawnee | 54775 |  | 308 | 2 (6) | 126 (49) | 0 (0) | 0.31% | 37°43′31″N 94°50′30″W﻿ / ﻿37.72528°N 94.84167°W﻿ / 37.72528; -94.84167
Scott | 63500 |  | 2,326 | 13 (34) | 179 (69) | 2 (1) | 0.94% | 37°48′35″N 94°41′30″W﻿ / ﻿37.80972°N 94.69167°W﻿ / 37.80972; -94.69167
Timberhill | 70600 | Mapleton | 256 | 3 (7) | 93 (36) | 0 (0) | 0.05% | 38°0′31″N 94°52′57″W﻿ / ﻿38.00861°N 94.88250°W﻿ / 38.00861; -94.88250
Walnut | 74850 |  | 135 | 1 (2) | 154 (59) | 0 (0) | 0.13% | 37°43′10″N 94°59′0″W﻿ / ﻿37.71944°N 94.98333°W﻿ / 37.71944; -94.98333
Sources: "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files". U.S. Census Bureau, Geography Division. Archived from the original on August 2, 2002.

## Notable people

[edit | edit source]

* Jonathan M. Davis, 22nd Governor of Kansas; born in Bourbon County.[15]

## See also

[edit | edit source]

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Bourbon County, Kansas

Community information for Kansas

* Kansas locations by per capita income
* List of counties in Kansas
* List of townships in Kansas
* List of cities in Kansas
* List of unincorporated communities in Kansas
* List of ghost towns in Kansas

Education information for Kansas

* List of colleges and universities in Kansas
* List of high schools in Kansas
* List of unified school districts in Kansas

Historical information for Kansas

* List of museums in Kansas
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Kansas

|

## References

[edit | edit source]

1. ^ a b c "QuickFacts; Bourbon County, Kansas; Population, Census, 2020 & 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on August 15, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. ^ "New details on mystery virus that killed Kansas man". CBS News.
4. ^ "New so-called Bourbon virus linked to Kansas man's death after tick bite". UPI.
5. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
6. ^ National Atlas Archived December 5, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
7. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau TIGER shape files". Archived from the original on May 23, 2017. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
8. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
9. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
10. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
11. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
12. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
13. ^ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
14. ^ "Map of Wet and Dry Counties". Alcoholic Beverage Control, Kansas Department of Revenue. November 2006. Archived from the original on October 8, 2007. Retrieved December 26, 2007.
15. ^ "Jonathan M. Davis". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved September 30, 2012.

## Further reading

[edit | edit source]

See also: List of books about Kansas, including historical information about its counties and cities

* Standard Atlas of Bourbon County, Kansas; Geo. A. Ogle & Co; 67 pages; 1920.
* History of Bourbon County, Kansas: To the Close of 1865; Thomas F. Robley; 269 pages; 1894.
* An Illustrated Historical Atlas of Bourbon County, Kansas; Edwards Brothers of Missouri; 55 pages; 1878.

## External links

[edit | edit source]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bourbon County, Kansas.

County

* Bourbon County - Official
* Bourbon County - Directory of Public Officials

Maps

* Bourbon County Maps: Current, Historic, KDOT
* Kansas Highway Maps: Current, Historic, KDOT
* Kansas Railroad Maps: Current, 1996, 1915, KDOT and Kansas Historical Society

Places adjacent to Bourbon County, Kansas

| Anderson County | Linn County | Vernon County, Missouri

|
|

|  |
Allen County |

Bourbon County, Kansas

| Vernon County, Missouri
|  |
Neosho County | Crawford County | Vernon County, Missouri

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Bourbon County, Kansas, United States

County seat: Fort Scott

Cities|

* Bronson
* Fort Scott
* Fulton
* Mapleton
* Redfield
* Uniontown

Map of Kansas highlighting Bourbon County

Unincorporated
communities|

* Barnesville
* Berlin
* Devon†
* Garland†
* Godfrey
* Hammond
* Harding
* Hiattville
* Marmaton
* Pawnee Station
* Porterville
* Xenia

Townships|

* Drywood
* Franklin
* Freedom
* Marion
* Marmaton
* Mill Creek
* Osage
* Pawnee
* Scott
* Timberhill
* Walnut

Footnotes|

†This community is designated a Census-Designated Place (CDP) by the United States Census Bureau.
‡This community also has portions in an adjacent county or counties.

* United States portal

* v
* t
* e

State of Kansas

Topeka (capital)

Topics|

* Index
* Geography
* History
* Bleeding Kansas
* Constitutions
* Capitals
* Capitols
* Timeline
* Governors
* Delegations
* Landmarks
* People
* Places
* Symbols
* Tourist attractions

Society|

* Culture
* Crime
* Demographics
* Economy
* Education
* Politics

Regions|

* Cherokee Strip
* Cross Timbers
* Dissected Till Plains
* East Central
* Four State Area
* Flint Hills
* High Plains
* KC metro area
* North Central
* Osage Plains
* Ozarks
* Red Hills
* Santa Fe Trail Region
* Smoky Hills
* Southeast

Largest
cities|

* (1) Wichita
* (2) Overland Park
* (3) Kansas City
* (4) Olathe
* (5) Topeka
* (6) Lawrence
* (7) Shawnee
* (8) Manhattan
* (9) Lenexa
* (10) Salina
* (11) Hutchinson
* (12) Leavenworth
* (13) Leawood
* (14) Dodge City
* (15) Garden City
* (16) Junction City
* (17) Emporia
* (18) Derby
* (19) Prairie Village
* (20) Liberal
* (21) Hays
* (22) Pittsburg
* (23) Gardner
* (24) Newton
* (25) Great Bend
* (26) McPherson
* (27) El Dorado
* (28) Ottawa
* (29) Winfield
* (30) Arkansas City
* (31) Andover
* (32) Lansing
* (33) Merriam
* (34) Atchison
* (35) Haysville
* (36) Parsons
* (37) Coffeyville
* (38) Mission
* (39) Independence
* (40) Augusta
* (41) Chanute
* (42) Wellington
* (43) Fort Scott
* (44) Park City
* (45) Bonner Springs
* (46) Valley Center
* (47) Pratt
* (48) Bel Aire
* (49) Roeland Park
* (50) Abilene

Counties|

* Allen
* Anderson
* Atchison
* Barber
* Barton
* Bourbon
* Brown
* Butler
* Chase
* Chautauqua
* Cherokee
* Cheyenne
* Clark
* Clay
* Cloud
* Coffey
* Comanche
* Cowley
* Crawford
* Decatur
* Dickinson
* Doniphan
* Douglas
* Edwards
* Elk
* Ellis
* Ellsworth
* Finney
* Ford
* Franklin
* Geary
* Gove
* Graham
* Grant
* Gray
* Greeley
* Greenwood
* Hamilton
* Harper
* Harvey
* Haskell
* Hodgeman
* Jackson
* Jefferson
* Jewell
* Johnson
* Kearny
* Kingman
* Kiowa
* Labette
* Lane
* Leavenworth
* Lincoln
* Linn
* Logan
* Lyon
* Marion
* Marshall
* McPherson
* Meade
* Miami
* Mitchell
* Montgomery
* Morris
* Morton
* Nemaha
* Neosho
* Ness
* Norton
* Osage
* Osborne
* Ottawa
* Pawnee
* Phillips
* Pottawatomie
* Pratt
* Rawlins
* Reno
* Republic
* Rice
* Riley
* Rooks
* Rush
* Russell
* Saline
* Scott
* Sedgwick
* Seward
* Shawnee
* Sheridan
* Sherman
* Smith
* Stafford
* Stanton
* Stevens
* Sumner
* Thomas
* Trego
* Wabaunsee
* Wallace
* Washington
* Wichita
* Wilson
* Woodson
* Wyandotte

Lists|

* List of counties in Kansas
* List of townships in Kansas
* List of cities in Kansas
* List of census-designated places in Kansas
* List of unincorporated communities in Kansas
* List of ghost towns in Kansas
* Lists of people from Kansas

*[Pop.]: Population
*[%±]: Percent change
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template