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Iowa State...
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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.
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Benton County, Iowa
Benton County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: Vinton
Year Organized: 1837
Square Miles: 716
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Court House: P.O. Box 549
County Courthouse
Vinton, IA 52349-0549
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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
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:
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- Atkins |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Belle Plaine |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Blairstown |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Garrison |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Keystone |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Luzerne |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Mount Auburn |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Newhall |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Norway |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Shellsburg |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Urbana |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Van Horne |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Vinton
(County Seat) |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Walford |
city |
Incorporated Area |
County Resources:
Enter County Resources and Information Here
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County Resource Guide
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The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic
features of our 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." |
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