Barber County is a county located in the south-central portion of the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and most populous city is Medicine Lodge.^[2] As of the 2020 census, the county population was 4,228.^[1] The county was named for Thomas Barber, an abolitionist who was killed in Douglas County in 1855 during the Wakarusa War.^[3]

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Barber County
County
Medicine Lodge Stockade Museum (left) and Carry A. Nation house (right) in Medicine Lodge
Location within the U.S. state of Kansas
Kansas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 37°14′N 98°41′W
Country	United States
State	Kansas
Founded	February 26, 1867
Named for	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 km2)  0.2%
Population  (2020)[1]
• Total	4,228
• Density	3.7/sq mi (1.4/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Area code	620
Congressional district	4th
Website	barber.ks.gov

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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 during Bleeding 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 the Osages and the Cherokees 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 for homesteading or timber claim entry. Early settlers noted the numerous buffalo wallows in the county.^[5]

The first settler in the county, a man named Griffin, settled in the winter of 1871-72 near Sun City. Indian opposite to white settlement soon brought conflict, including an 1872 raid resulting in the death of trader E. H. Mosely. Defensive stockades were subsequently erected in Medicine 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 by Henry 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 advocate Carrie Nation smashed her first saloon in Kiowa, Kansas in 1900. Today, her former residence is a National Historic Landmark.^[4]

According to the U.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]

The Medicine Lodge River flows through the county.

As of the 2000 census,^[14] there were 5,307 people, 2,235 households, and 1,510 families residing in the county. The population 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). The racial makeup of the county was 97.06% White, 0.38% Black or African American, 0.58% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.89% from other races, and 1.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.02% of the population.

There were 2,235 households, out of which 28.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.70% were married 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.

The median 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. The per capita income for the county was $16,627. About 7.50% of families and 10.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.60% of those under age 18 and 4.90% of those age 65 or over.

Barber County Is a Republican stronghold. The last Democrat to carry this county was Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.

RSI Corporation

List of current townships / incorporated cities / unincorporated communities / extinct former communities within Barber County.^[17]

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Barber 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