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Kansas County
Linn County, Kansas
Mine Creek Battlefield and the Marais des Cygnes massacre site - from the Battle of Mine Creek (October 25, 1864 - the largest cavalry engagement west of the Mississippi River, fought in Linn County as Union forces routed Confederate General Sterling Price's retreating army, capturing two generals and effectively ending Confederate operations in Missouri and Kansas) to the Marais des Cygnes Massacre State Historic Site (where proslavery raiders executed eleven Free State settlers in 1858 - one of Bleeding Kansas's most notorious atrocities, commemorated in a John Greenleaf Whittier poem) and La Cygne Lake's recreation.
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Office: Linn County Emergency Management – coordinated through the Sheriff’s Office, Mound City, KS. City of Mound City non-emergency line (913) 795-2749.
Sheriff: Linn County Sheriff’s Office – 308 Main Street, Suite 103, Mound City, KS 66056 | (913) 795-2666. Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-4 PM (24-hour emergency service).
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-69 and US-54 serve Mound City, the county seat, in eastern Kansas along the Missouri border.
Notes: Linn County was established February 26, 1867, named for Lewis F. Linn, a U.S. Senator from Missouri. Pleasanton, not Mound City, is the county’s most populous city.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Linn County Courthouse – 315 Main Street, Mound City, KS – the second-oldest courthouse in Kansas still standing, National Register of Historic Places. The Old Linn County Jail (1867-68, also serving as Mound City’s City Hall since 1903) is separately listed on the National Register.
Notes: Linn County holds a genuinely significant and sobering place in the history of “Bleeding Kansas.” On May 19, 1858, proslavery “border ruffian” Charles Hamilton led roughly 30 men across the Missouri border into the community of Trading Post, capturing 11 free-state men and marching them into a secluded ravine, where they opened fire – killing five and seriously wounding five others before escaping back into Missouri. Known as the Marais des Cygnes Massacre, it is generally regarded as the last major violent episode of the Bleeding Kansas period and shocked the nation, later inspiring a widely read poem by John Greenleaf Whittier. Abolitionist John Brown later built a fortified cabin near the site, using it as a base during the summer of 1858. The site – designated a National Historic Landmark in 1974 – is preserved today as the Marais des Cygnes Massacre State Historic Site, operated by the Kansas Historical Society as a drive-through interpreted park with an on-site museum. This history is presented here with care, given the real loss of life involved.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Linn County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via linncountyks.com.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Mound City Public Library (Mound City) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Marais des Cygnes Massacre State Historic Site and Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge are the county’s premier heritage and outdoor attractions.
Notes: The genuine, historically significant Bleeding Kansas history at Trading Post is presented here with care, given the real loss of life involved.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Linn County Appraiser’s Office – confirm current contact via linncountyks.com.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Linn County Sheriff’s Office Animal Control – 308 Main Street, Suite 103, Mound City, KS | (913) 795-2666; handles complaints and lost dog reports by phone (not email); low-cost vet clinic and volunteer programs available.
City of Pleasanton Animal Control – City Hall, 1608 Laurel, Pleasanton, KS 66075 | (913) 352-8257; Officer Morgan Watts.
Additional licensed municipal shelters/pounds operate in Blue Mound, La Cygne, Linn Valley, and Prescott per Kansas Dept. of Agriculture records.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Linn County Solid Waste – confirm current contact via linncountyks.com.
NOTES: Linn County is the first county in the ninth Kansas Round 3 batch, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, historically significant Bleeding Kansas history at Trading Post is presented here with care, given the real loss of life involved. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Linn County
Linn County is eastern Kansas’s Civil War cavalry battle and Bleeding Kansas massacre county – two of the most significant violent episodes in 19th-century Kansas history occurred within miles of each other in this quiet Missouri border county.
Mine Creek Battlefield – where Union cavalry captured Confederate Generals Marmaduke and Cabell on October 25, 1864 – is the most significant Civil War engagement in Kansas. The adjacent Marais des Cygnes Massacre site commemorates the 1858 execution of Free State settlers.
Mound City (the county seat, population ~600) is one of Kansas’s smallest county seats, a quiet community serving the surrounding agricultural county.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Linn County Appraiser at 315 Main Street, Mound City, KS 66056, phone 913-795-2542. KS residential assessed at 11.5% of appraised value.
Courts & Legal
Linn County District Court at 315 Main Street, Mound City, KS 66056, phone 913-795-2668, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections)
315 Main St., Mound City, KS 66056
(913) 795-2668
DISTRICT COURT CLERK (Court Records, Marriage Licenses)
315 Main St., Mound City, KS 66056
(913) 795-2660
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
315 Main St., Mound City, KS 66056
(913) 795-2668
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Linn County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The 1885 Linn County Courthouse, a National Register of Historic Places landmark, is a distinctive local resource.
Local societies
No dedicated Linn County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Linn County District Court, 6th Judicial District 318 Chestnut Street, P.O. Box 350, Mound City, KS 66056 (913) 795-2660
Linn County was founded February 26, 1867, named for Senator Lewis F. Linn. The 1885 Linn County Courthouse (Renaissance style, National Register of Historic Places) sits in Mound City, founded 1855 and named for the nearby Sugar Mound.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Kansas has NOT adopted the Uniform Probate Code, maintaining its own statutory framework under the Kansas Probate Code (K.S.A. Chapter 59). Kansas offers several tracks depending on estate size and complexity:
Small Estate Affidavit – for estates where the total value of probate property, less liens and encumbrances, does not exceed $75,000 (raised from $40,000 effective July 1, 2023), available under K.S.A. 59-1507b. This transfers personal property only. If the decedent left a will, it must still be filed with the probate court even though it isn’t being formally probated.
Simplified Administration – under the Kansas Simplified Estates Act (K.S.A. 59-3201 et seq.), the most common route for straightforward estates.
Formal Probate – supervised or unsupervised administration through the District Court for larger or more complex estates.
A will must be filed for probate within 6 months of death, or it may not be admitted, forcing the estate into intestate distribution.
Step 2: filing for formal probate
File a Petition for Probate of Will and Appointment of Executor (if there’s a will) or a Petition for Administration (if intestate) with the Linn County District Court.
The court admits the will (if any) and appoints the personal representative.
Notice to creditors is published per court order; creditors have a defined window to file claims.
The personal representative inventories assets, pays valid debts and expenses, and – under unsupervised administration – acts with reduced court check-ins.
Without a surviving spouse or children, Kansas intestate succession law (K.S.A. 59-501 et seq.) determines which blood relatives inherit.
After debts are paid, the personal representative distributes assets and files a final accounting; the court closes the estate upon approval.
What it costs
Court costs may be remitted for small estates under recent statutory changes.
Executor/administrator and attorney fees are generally reasonable-fee based rather than a fixed statutory percentage.
Typical timelines: Small Estate Affidavit can proceed relatively quickly; formal probate commonly takes several months to over a year.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
315 Main St., Mound City, KS 66056
(913) 795-2254
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Elections)
315 Main St., Mound City, KS 66056
(913) 795-2668
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
315 Main St., Mound City, KS 66056
(913) 795-2668
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Linn County Health Department – confirm current contact via linncountyks.com.
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