The town of Afton was named the seat of Union County in 1855, three years after the county was founded. Shortly after, a two-story frame building was constructed to serve as the county’s first courthouse. As the county grew, more space for the courthouse was needed and a larger brick building was constructed in Afton at a cost of $25,000. In 1890, residents of the growing city of Creston pooled funds to construct a new courthouse for the county. An election made the move official, as Creston officially gained county seat status on November 25, 1890. The present courthouse was constructed of concrete and limestone in 1951, at a cost of $300,000.
Published February 1, 2012 |
Courthouses |
Fremont County’s first brick courthouse was established in the seat of Sidney in 1860 and served the county for nearly three decades before being destroyed by arson May 16, 1888. Though Hamburg and Farragut attempted to gain county seat status, in November 1888, a majority of county voters approved a property tax increase for funds to construct a new courthouse in Sidney at a cost.
In March 1889, S.E. Maxon of Council Bluffs was appointed the architect and the building contract was awarded to a firm in nearby Nebraska City, Nebraska; construction was completed the following year. The Fremont Courthouse, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966, has seen only a handful of modifications since construction.
Published December 26, 2011 |
Courthouses |
Fremont County
| Map
The present Calhoun County Courthouse was built on the square in Rockwell City in 1914. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966, both the interior and exterior have been well-preserved and the building has seen minimal changes since its original construction. A number of restoration projects began in 1982, including stripping and varnishing of the oak woodwork, implementation of a new tile ceiling, and a cleaning and restoration of the beautifully unique stained glass dome ceiling.
Published December 12, 2011 |
Courthouses |
Calhoun County
| Map
Cherokee was chosen as the town seat of Cherokee County in northwest Iowa in 1861. By 1864, the county’s first courthouse was erected in Cherokee, a square, frame building constructed from local black walnut logs. As the building aged and more space was needed, the initial proposal to construct a new courthouse failed on the ballot in 1881. The vote was favorable 10 years later and the second courthouse, constructed with brick, limestone, granite, and slate, was completed in 1892. This Romanesque-style building was torn down in early 1965 to allow construction of a modern, split-level courthouse for Cherokee County. Construction on the $500,000 facility was complete in October 1966.
Published November 21, 2011 |
Courthouses |
Cherokee County
| Map
In February 1954, a grand jury of seven Emmet County residents voted unanimously to recommend the construction of a new courthouse following a report that the existing, 70-year-old courthouse was “inadequate, a fire hazard and a detriment of all citizens of the county should it burn.” Within a month, a special election was approved by the county supervisors and over two-thirds of voters favored building a new $350,000 structure in the November election.
Plans were drawn for the proposed courthouse, but by February 1956, the lowest bid received was more than $70,000 over the $350,000 approved in the election. A second vote to increase the building fund failed by a 10 to one margin, sending the county supervisors back to architect James A. Dougher of Des Moines to redo plans in attempt to secure a lower bid. On March 19, 1957 a revised bid was received that met the county’s budget, and the cornerstone to the new structure was laid Friday, May 30, 1957.
Construction was completed fifteen months later, and the new Emmet County Courthouse building was officially dedicated in front of an estimated crowd of 1,500 on September 14, 1958. Following the dedication, guided tours were given of the new building and dedication brochures were distributed.
Published November 7, 2011 |
Courthouses |
Emmet County
| Map
