The Person:
From Wikipedia entry on Nathaniel Lyon:
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"Nathaniel Lyon (July 14, 1818 – August 10, 1861) was the first Union general to be killed in the American Civil War and is noted for his actions in the state of Missouri at the beginning of the conflict.
He graduated from the Military Academy 11th out of a class of 52 in 1841. He fought in the Second Seminole War and in the Mexican-American War. During the War with Mexico, he received several brevet promotions for gallantry under fire at the battles of Mexico City, Contreras, and Churubusco. He was then sent to posts in California where he participated in the 1850 Bloody Island Massacre against the Pomo Native Americans.[1] He was reassigned to Fort Riley in Kansas, where he began to develop strong support for the Union as a result of the political climate developing in the state.
In February 1861, Lyon was made commander of the Union arsenal in St. Louis, Missouri, where tensions grew between the Union soldiers stationed there and the secessionist governor of the state, Claiborne Jackson. When the Civil War broke out, Jackson refused to send volunteers from the state to fight for Abraham Lincoln. Instead, Jackson had the militia muster outside the city to begin training in preparation to join Confederate forces. On May 10, 1861, Lyon and his troops surrounded the pro-Confederate Missouri militia under General D. M. Frost, and forced its surrender. While marching his captured prisoners through St. Louis, citizens began to riot, leading to the Camp Jackson Affair. Lyon ordered his troops to fire into the rioters. On May 17, Lyon was promoted to brigadier general and was given command of Union troops in Missouri. He then led his troops into a series of skirmishes with the Missouri State Guard and Confederate Army.
On August 10, 1861 the Union forces were defeated by a combined force of the Missouri Militia and Confederate troops under the command of Benjamin McCulloch and Sterling Price near Springfield, Missouri, at The Battle of Wilson’s Creek. Lyon was killed while trying to rally his outnumbered soldiers. However, Lyon’s efforts prevented the State of Missouri from joining the Confederacy."
The Place:
From the Wikipedia page for Lyon County, Kansas:
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"Lyon County (standard abbreviation: LY) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 33,690. The county seat and largest city is Emporia. The county was named for General Nathaniel Lyon, who was killed at the Battle of Wilson's Creek in the Civil War.
In 1806, Zebulon Pike led the Pike expedition westward from St Louis, Missouri, of which part of their journey followed the Cottonwood River through Lyon County.
In 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized, then in 1861 Kansas became the 34th U.S. state. In 1862, Lyon County was established from the county formerly known as Breckinridge County.
In 1871, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway extended a main line from Emporia to Newton."
The Courthouse:
From the National Register Application:
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"This large non-historic building occupies a corner lot and three-fifths of the length of the block. An engaged, full-height curved curtain wall wraps both the northwest and northeast corners, where it indicates entrances. Seven additional bays, defined by fenestration, span the rest of the primary (west) elevation. The fenestration is comprised of very large, full-height round arched openings containing curtain walls in the five center bays and groups of three, two-story vertical window openings in the two outermost bays. Additional architectural features include: the ashlar stone cladding at both cornice and foundation level; the brick cladding; the groups of three square window openings in the uppermost story of the outermost bays; the round arch ashlar stone window surrounds; and the metal cornice projecting over the corner curtain walls."