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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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Chickasaw County, Iowa
Chickasaw County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: New Hampton
Year Organized: 1851
Square Miles: 505 |
Court House: P.O. Box 311
County Courthouse
New Hampton, IA 50659-0311
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Etymology - Origin of County Name
Chickasaw is named for the Chickasaw Native American tribe.
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick
Facts
History
The county is named for the prominent
Indian nation in the south. The county was established in 1851 and originated in
1853.
The county seat in the early stages of the county was located at Bradford, named
after the chief of the Chickasaw Indian tribe. A plain log cabin, erected at a
cost of $1,840, was used as the first courthouse. In the spring of 1857 the
county seat was moved to New Hampton, a town more centrally located in the
county. Following this there were several attempts to remove the county seat
from New Hampton. Some county seat bidders were Fredericksburg, Bradford, and
Forest City. All were unsuccessful in gaining the county seat.
In 1865 the first courthouse in New Hampton was completed. In 1876 an addition
was completed on this building. The entire building was totally destroyed in a
fire on March 26, 1880. Many irreplaceable documents were lost, but many more
were saved with the help of the "Hook & Ladder Co.," and concerned citizens.
With the help of a falling mist and buckets of water, the fire was finally
extinguished, with total losses estimated at $2,000.
Due to towns fighting over the location of the county seat, it was not until
1881 that the central portion of a new courthouse was completed at New Hampton.
The third courthouse cost $10,500 to complete; New Hampton paid $5,000 of the
cost. The building was made of brick and stone. The inside was trimmed with
black walnut and ash. In 1905 a wing was added on at a cost of $4,219, and one
year later a second wing was completed with a cost of $200.
The current courthouse was completed in 1929 at a cost of $134,000. Architects
for the courthouse were Ralston and Ralston of Waterloo, and it was constructed
by Tarazar Construction Co. of Albert Lea, Minnesota.
Neighboring Counties:
- North: Howard County
- Northeast: Winneshiek County
- Southeast: Fayette County
- South: Bremer County
- Southwest: Butler County
- West: Floyd County
- Northwest: Mitchell County
Cities and Towns:
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- Alta Vista |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Bassett |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Fredericksburg |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Ionia |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Lawler |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Nashua |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- New Hampton
(County
Seat) |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- North Washington |
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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