Davis County, Iowa

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

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History

Davis County was named in honor of Garret Davis, a Congressman from Lexington, Kentucky. In its early days Davis County was referred to as “the Hairy Nation.” The name was given to the county because of the shaggy, rough, unkempt appearance and rude manner of the men that resided in the area.

There was an early dispute on the site of the county seat. One site was the area of Bloomfield, and the other site was the town of Richmond. Numerous petitions were filed on behalf of both towns at the Territorial Legislature. The matter was settled in an election, with Bloomfield gaining a majority.

The naming of the county seat was done by the county commissioners. Since the commissioners all favored different names, the matter was settled by the luck of the draw. The name Bloomfield was pulled out of a hat. The other choices were Jefferson and Davis.

The county was established in 1843. The first courthouse was a two-story, hewed-log building that was finished in 1844. The construction cost was $164, and in November 1844, $175 was paid for lumber, glass and putty. This building underwent many repairs, and finally in 1851, the building was abandoned. For the next 27 years county offices were kept at various locations in Bloomfield.

Five different propositions for a courthouse went to the voters. All failed, except the last one in 1875. On August 22, 1877 the cornerstone for the present courthouse was laid. The cost of the building was $61,496.58, and an additional $2,500 was spent for an iron fence. The fence has since moved to Jay Cemetery in Lick Creek township in Davis County.

In June 2002, Davis County celebrated its 125th anniversary (1877-2002) with festivities in the courtyard and courthouse tours. A courthouse cookbook was also created to remember the celebration.

Source: Megan Clyman, Davis County Deputy Recorder, 2002

Neighboring Counties:

North: Wapello County
Northeast: Jefferson County
East: Van Buren County
Southeast: Scotland County, Mo.
Southwest: Schuyler County, Mo.
West: Appanoose County
Northwest: Monroe County

Cities:

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County Resource Guide

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.”

Penn Foster High School

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