Horace Greeley Museum, formerly the Old Greeley County Courthouse

Constructed from 1889 to 1890 in Tribune, Kansas, the old Greeley County Courthouse is among the oldest courthouse buildings in Western Kansas. The courthouse, a modest two-story structure made of locally sourced sandstone and materials from surrounding counties, reflects the region's early settlement and prosperity, spurred by a boom in 1887. In the 1970s, plans for a new courthouse sparked a preservation campaign by the Greeley County Historical Society, converting the old courthouse into the Horace Greeley Museum adjacent to the newly built courthouse. Today, the museum showcases local history, genealogical resources, and artifacts, such as a prehistoric mammoth skull that showcases the human and natural history of Greeley County. In addition to exhibits about life in Western Kansas, the museum also shares the history of Horace Greeley, an influential New York publisher for whom the county was named.

Begun in 1889 and completed the following year, the old Greeley County Courthouse is one of the oldest courthouses in Western Kansas. Work started the following year after the county was consolidated and Tribune was chosen as the county seat. The architect was W.T. Heaps, a Kansan architect who designed at least one other historic area courthouse in Hamilton County and contributed to others, including the one in Rush County. Allen and Oleson of Ness City were the general contractors, and William Ruff, also of Ness City, held the subcontract for carpenter work. The finished building made significant use of Western Kansas resources; it was "a plain, almost austere two-story building" made of locally sourced sandstone, white stone from Hamilton County, other stonework from Ness County, and a galvanized iron cornice.

The old Greeley County Courthouse was constructed during a time of early settlement and prosperity in the area. 1887, in particular, was a boom year, with many new settlers coming to the area to set up homesteads, leading to the population jump that led Tribune to be named the county seat. By the time the courthouse was completed, the boom had ceased, but population growth continued into the following decades, albeit much more slowly. Census numbers peaked during the economic upturn between World War II and the 1950s. The current population is around 1200, making it the least populous county in Kansas.

In the 1970s, county officials prepared plans to construct a new courthouse. Original plans called for the new building to be located downtown adjacent to the business district, but voters insisted it be located on the site of the Old Greeley County Courthouse, which would require that the old building be demolished. The Greeley County Historical Society responded with a strong preservation campaign, leading the new commission to build the new courthouse next to the old one. The latter was converted into the Greeley County Historical Society Museum, currently called the Horace Greeley Museum, after the county's namesake, the publisher of the New York Tribune and a prominent anti-slavery advocate. The museum currently houses Greeley County historical memorabilia, resources for local genealogical resources, and a prehistoric mammoth skull.

Pankratz, Richard and Cornelia Wyma. Old Greeley County Courthouse - National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form, National Parks Gallery. January 22nd, 1976. Accessed November 19th, 2023. https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/3d3ca939-ef09-4796-ac82-231754493b18/.