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Iowa Counties

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Iowa Counties

There are 99 Counties in Iowa. The first two counties, Des Moines County and Dubuque County, were created in 1834 when Iowa was still part of the Michigan Territory. In preparation for Michigan's statehood, part of Michigan Territory was formed into Wisconsin Territory in 1836]. Two years later, the western portion was split off to become Iowa Territory. The south-eastern part of Iowa Territory became Iowa, the 29th state in the union, on 28 December 1846, by which point 44 Counties had been created. Counties continued to be created by the state government until 1857, when the last county, Humboldt County, was created.

Benton County, Iowa

Benton County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Vinton
Year Organized: 1837
Square Miles: 716

Court House:

P.O. Box 549
County Courthouse
Vinton, IA 52349-0549

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Benton is named for Thomas Hart Benton, a senator from Missouri who pushed for westward expansion of the United States.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Benton County, one of the original twelve counties created from Dubuque County, is named in honor of Thomas Hart Benton. Benton was a lawyer, colonel in the War of 1812 and senator from Missouri. The county was established in 1843.

In the spring of 1846 a county seat was selected and the county was established. It was called Northport and the town was platted the following summer. Soon the town's name was changed to Fremont, in honor of General John Charles Fremont. A town in Iowa was already named Fremont so they again changed the name, this time to Vinton, after Ohio Congressman Plynn Vinton, who paid $50 for the honor.

The first permanent courthouse was begun on July 13, 1856 with the laying of the cornerstone. This building was officially dedicated at a grand ball on December 23, 1856. The final cost of the two-story brick structure was $13,000.

When the time came to replace the old brick courthouse, there was great excitement. There was a persistent rumor that the contents of the cornerstone included a liquor bottle that would have had 49 years to age. The disappointment was just as great when no bottle was found.

The present courthouse was begun in 1905, and it was completed in 1906. The elaborate, three-story stone structure was constructed at a cost of $150,000. It has a 112-foot high tower that contains a clock and 1,500-pound bell which was donated by Paul Correll, a local merchant and farmer.

This building has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Neighboring Counties:

Northeast: Buchanan County
East: Linn County
Southeast: Johnson County
South: Iowa County
Southwest: Poweshiek County
West: Tama County
Northwest: Black Hawk County

Cities and Towns:

- Atkins	city	Incorporated Area
- Belle Plaine	city	Incorporated Area
- Blairstown	city	Incorporated Area
- Garrison	city	Incorporated Area
- Keystone	city	Incorporated Area
- Luzerne	city	Incorporated Area
- Mount Auburn	city	Incorporated Area
- Newhall	city	Incorporated Area
- Norway	city	Incorporated Area
- Shellsburg	city	Incorporated Area
- Urbana	city	Incorporated Area
- Van Horne	city	Incorporated Area
- Vinton (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Walford	city	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resources

The history of our nation was a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names given the counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of this country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."