HOWARD COUNTY COURTHOUSE
Cresco, Iowa
Howard County, formally organized by Judge James Lyon of Chickasaw County in July 17, 1855, is named in honor of General Tilghman Ashurst Howard. He held various offices in Tennessee and Indiana and was a long time friend of Andrew Jackson and Sam Houston.
A county seat battle raged in Howard County for 25 years. The county seat has been in the towns of Vernon Springs, Howard Center and New Oregon. Finally, in 1858, to put a stop to these battles, the county seat was located between the towns of Vernon Springs and New Oregon at a site called Pike's Peak. In February 1859 the courthouse was built with money raised by residents of Vernon Springs and New Oregon. This building was deemed unsafe and abandoned in 1865. The county records were then moved to a stone building in Vernon Springs.
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CLAYTON COUNTY COURTHOUSE
Elkader, Iowa
Clayton County, (796 square miles) was named for John Middleton Clayton (1796-1856), a U.S. senator and cabinet member from Delaware, who assisted in the passage of the Wisconsin Territorial bill.
According to some accounts, the first white man first set foot on Iowa soil in Clayton County on June 17, 1673, when the French missionary Father Jacques Marquette and trapper-explorer Louis Joliet, on their way down the Wisconsin River from Green Bay, are said to have crossed to the west bank of the Mississippi River and beached their canoe at a point just below McGregor now known as Pike’s Peak. However, most historians now believe that Marquette and Joliet did not touch Iowa soil until eight days later, on June 25, 1673, when they landed at a point near the mouth of the Iowa River in Louisa County, and were met by friendly Indians.
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PAGE COUNTY COURTHOUSE
Clarinda, Iowa
Clarinda is the County Seat of Page County in Southwestern Iowa, approximately 80 miles from Omaha and Council Bluffs. Des Moines is 130 miles to the northeast and the Missouri State Line is 12 miles south. St. Joseph is 80 miles; Kansas City 130 miles and Lincoln is 100 miles. The 1960 census reported a population of 5,901, including the Mental Health Institute which had not been reported in 1950. In 1913, the City adopted the city manager form of government, the first community west of the Mississippi to do so. The form still continues, with five councilmen (three from wards) and an elected mayor
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TAYLOR COUNTY COURTHOUSE
Bedford, Iowa
The cornerstone of this building was laid in June of 1892 and was completed the following spring. Many rooms in the courthouse have fireplaces; a spiral wrought iron staircase leads to the back of the courtroom. The clock in the dome and the building itself are illuminated at night. The clock is a Seth Thomas and only 82 of this model were built. The courthouse is a National Register historical landmark.
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JASPER COUNTY COURTHOUSE
Newton, Iowa
Jasper County's "Temple of Justice", the courthouse, was dedicated on April 6, 1911, at which time the population of Jasper County was approximately 27,000. The building is 120 ft. 8 in. long and 80 ft. wide. It is 56 ft. from the grade line to the cornice and the tower rises 56 ft. above the roof. The tip of the flag staff is 140 ft. from the ground. The structure is of cut Bedford (Indiana) limestone, lined with brick.
The exterior design is Neo-classic with modified Georgian Colonial detail. Four columns of ionic design grace each face of the building, saving the whole structure from an aspect of grimness. In the frieze on each side of the building are inscriptions denoting the high purpose to which the use of the building is dedicated. These are: (E) Whatsoever Ye Would That Men Should Do To You, Do Even So To Them; ( S ) Judge Righteously Between Every Man and His Brother; (W) Erected By The People Of Jasper County. Dedicated To Justice And Good Government; and (N). Where Law Ends, Anarchy Begins.
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