Barber County, Kansas | |
|---|---|
 Medicine Lodge Stockade Museum (left) andCarrie A. Nation house (right) inMedicine Lodge | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofKansas | |
 Kansas's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:37°14′N98°41′W / 37.233°N 98.683°W /37.233; -98.683 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Kansas |
| Founded | February 26, 1867 |
| Named after | Thomas W. Barber |
| Seat | Medicine Lodge |
| Largest city | Medicine Lodge |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,136 sq mi (2,940 km2) |
| • Land | 1,134 sq mi (2,940 km2) |
| • Water | 2.1 sq mi (5.4 km2) 0.2% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 4,228 |
• Estimate (2023) | 4,071 |
| • Density | 3.728/sq mi (1.440/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Area code | 620 |
| Congressional district | 4th |
| Website | barber.ks.gov |
Barber County is acounty located in the south-central portion of theU.S. state ofKansas. Itscounty seat and most populous city isMedicine Lodge.[1] As of the2020 census, the county population was 4,228.[2] The county was named for Thomas Barber, an abolitionist who was killed in Douglas County in 1855 during theWakarusa War.[3]
Barber County was formed in 1867 from parts of Washington County, Peketon County, and Marion County. Organized in 1873, it was named after Thomas Barber, a free-state man killed duringBleeding Kansas. The county's name was initially misspelled as “Barbour” before being officially changed to “Barber.”[4]
The land that would become Barber County was formerly part of the "thirty mile" and "three mile" strips, previously owned by theOsages and theCherokees respectively. These lands were ceded to the United States Government by the treaty of July 15, 1870, and were then offered for pre-emption, but not forhomesteading ortimber claim entry. Early settlers noted the numerousbuffalo wallows in the county.[5]
The first settler in the county, a man named Griffin, settled in the winter of 1871-72 nearSun City. Indians opposed to white settlement soon brought conflict, including an 1872 raid resulting in the death of trader E. H. Mosely. Defensive stockades were subsequently erected inMedicine Lodge and Sun City.[5]
Settlements such as Kiowa and Medicine Lodge were established, with rapid settlement occurring in the summer of 1873. Notable events included the county's first child born in 1873 and its first wedding in 1874.[5]
In the summer of 1874, an Indian raid resulted in the murder of several settlers along the Medicine Lodge River. Various accounts attribute the raid to Indian opposition to white settlement or the actions of disguised white assailants aiming to cover up their illegal activities in the county.[5] To protect citizens, stockades were built, and militia groups were organized in Medicine Lodge and Sun City.[5]
Buffalo once roamed abundantly in the county, but by the 1880s, their numbers had significantly diminished. Their former habitat, however, made excellent range for cattle, and in 1870, Barber and Comanche county ranchers formed a cooperative known as the Comanche cattle pool. The discovery of gypsum deposits along the Medicine Lodge River led to the establishment of a plaster company in Sun City in 1891.[4]
The Medicine Lodge Bank was robbed in 1884 by a gang led byHenry Newton Brown, the marshal of Caldwell in nearby Sumner County. The bandits were pursued, captured, and thrown in jail. That night, a mob overpowered the Medicine Lodge sheriff, shot and killed Brown, and hanged the other men from a tree.[5]
Temperance advocateCarrie Nation smashed her first saloon inKiowa, Kansas in 1900. Today, her former residence is a National Historic Landmark.[4]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,136 square miles (2,940 km2), of which 1,134 square miles (2,940 km2) is land and 2.1 square miles (5.4 km2) (0.2%) is water.[6]
TheMedicine Lodge River flows through the county.
Sources: National Atlas,[7] U.S. Census Bureau[8]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 2,661 | — | |
| 1890 | 7,973 | 199.6% | |
| 1900 | 6,594 | −17.3% | |
| 1910 | 9,916 | 50.4% | |
| 1920 | 9,739 | −1.8% | |
| 1930 | 10,178 | 4.5% | |
| 1940 | 9,073 | −10.9% | |
| 1950 | 8,521 | −6.1% | |
| 1960 | 8,713 | 2.3% | |
| 1970 | 7,016 | −19.5% | |
| 1980 | 6,548 | −6.7% | |
| 1990 | 5,874 | −10.3% | |
| 2000 | 5,307 | −9.7% | |
| 2010 | 4,861 | −8.4% | |
| 2020 | 4,228 | −13.0% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 4,071 | [9] | −3.7% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[10] 1790-1960[11] 1900-1990[12] 1990-2000[13] 2010-2020[2] | |||
As of the2000 census,[14] there were 5,307 people, 2,235 households, and 1,510 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 5 people per square mile (1.9 people/km2). There were 2,740 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile (0.77/km2). Theracial makeup of the county was 97.06%White, 0.38%Black orAfrican American, 0.58%Native American, 0.09%Asian, 0.89% from other races, and 1.00% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 2.02% of the population.
There were 2,235households, out of which 28.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.70% weremarried couples living together, 6.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.40% were non-families. 29.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.00% under the age of 18, 5.80% from 18 to 24, 23.20% from 25 to 44, 24.50% from 45 to 64, and 21.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 92.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.40 males.
Themedian income for a household in the county was $33,407, and the median income for a family was $40,234. Males had a median income of $29,806 versus $20,046 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $16,627. About 7.50% of families and 10.10% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 12.60% of those under age 18 and 4.90% of those age 65 or over.
Barber County is, in common with other rural Kansas counties, aRepublican stronghold. The lastDemocrat to carry this county wasLyndon B. Johnson in1964.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1888 | 977 | 48.80% | 710 | 35.46% | 315 | 15.73% |
| 1892 | 883 | 37.75% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,456 | 62.25% |
| 1896 | 597 | 44.45% | 729 | 54.28% | 17 | 1.27% |
| 1900 | 862 | 51.16% | 783 | 46.47% | 40 | 2.37% |
| 1904 | 967 | 58.29% | 566 | 34.12% | 126 | 7.59% |
| 1908 | 1,097 | 53.72% | 864 | 42.31% | 81 | 3.97% |
| 1912 | 295 | 12.73% | 883 | 38.11% | 1,139 | 49.16% |
| 1916 | 1,632 | 40.97% | 2,061 | 51.74% | 290 | 7.28% |
| 1920 | 2,400 | 66.45% | 1,098 | 30.40% | 114 | 3.16% |
| 1924 | 2,218 | 58.25% | 909 | 23.87% | 681 | 17.88% |
| 1928 | 2,984 | 76.43% | 871 | 22.31% | 49 | 1.26% |
| 1932 | 1,671 | 40.88% | 2,321 | 56.78% | 96 | 2.35% |
| 1936 | 1,816 | 39.41% | 2,774 | 60.20% | 18 | 0.39% |
| 1940 | 2,389 | 52.84% | 2,074 | 45.87% | 58 | 1.28% |
| 1944 | 2,140 | 58.28% | 1,501 | 40.88% | 31 | 0.84% |
| 1948 | 2,013 | 50.92% | 1,891 | 47.84% | 49 | 1.24% |
| 1952 | 3,071 | 74.09% | 1,028 | 24.80% | 46 | 1.11% |
| 1956 | 2,698 | 68.32% | 1,241 | 31.43% | 10 | 0.25% |
| 1960 | 2,703 | 66.48% | 1,347 | 33.13% | 16 | 0.39% |
| 1964 | 1,758 | 48.51% | 1,845 | 50.91% | 21 | 0.58% |
| 1968 | 2,023 | 60.55% | 1,027 | 30.74% | 291 | 8.71% |
| 1972 | 2,308 | 74.26% | 727 | 23.39% | 73 | 2.35% |
| 1976 | 1,568 | 50.43% | 1,494 | 48.05% | 47 | 1.51% |
| 1980 | 1,872 | 62.53% | 914 | 30.53% | 208 | 6.95% |
| 1984 | 2,112 | 71.84% | 806 | 27.41% | 22 | 0.75% |
| 1988 | 1,539 | 56.87% | 1,118 | 41.32% | 49 | 1.81% |
| 1992 | 1,225 | 42.52% | 759 | 26.35% | 897 | 31.14% |
| 1996 | 1,696 | 62.15% | 730 | 26.75% | 303 | 11.10% |
| 2000 | 1,755 | 70.26% | 637 | 25.50% | 106 | 4.24% |
| 2004 | 1,782 | 74.16% | 588 | 24.47% | 33 | 1.37% |
| 2008 | 1,833 | 74.45% | 598 | 24.29% | 31 | 1.26% |
| 2012 | 1,772 | 76.58% | 482 | 20.83% | 60 | 2.59% |
| 2016 | 1,850 | 81.82% | 286 | 12.65% | 125 | 5.53% |
| 2020 | 2,014 | 85.99% | 291 | 12.43% | 37 | 1.58% |
| 2024 | 1,854 | 85.44% | 288 | 13.27% | 28 | 1.29% |
Barber County allows the sale of liquor at not only liquor stores but also in restaurants.[16]
The Barber County Sheriff's Office provides law enforcement in the county.[17] As of 2024, one officer of the Barber County Sheriff's Office has been killed in the line of duty.[18]
School districts include:[19]
List of townships / incorporated cities / unincorporated communities / extinct former communities within Barber County.[20]
Barber County is divided into eighteentownships. None of the cities within the county are consideredgovernmentally independent, and all figures for the townships include those of the cities. 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.
Places adjacent to Barber County, Kansas | |
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Municipalities and communities ofBarber County, Kansas,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Townships | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
