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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.
 

 

 

 
 

Hancock County, Iowa

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

 

County Seat: Garner
Year Organized: 1851
Square Miles: 571
Court House:

855 State Street
County Courthouse
Garner, IA 50438-1637

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Hancock is named for John Hancock, the American patriot and signer of the Declaration of Independence.

 

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

Hancock County was established in 1851. It was named for John Hancock (president of the Continental Congress) and formed by an election held on June 28, 1858. Only two townships were set up following the election, Avery and Madison.

The first site for county business was in Amsterdam. A courthouse was planned and bid on, and $2,000 was let to B. A. Hill for the construction of the building. One month later, however, the administration of the county was changed, the contract was voided by the new administration, and no courthouse was built. County business was held in the Amsterdam school until November 1865, when it became apparent that the county would need a courthouse.

Land was donated by the Seymour family of New York and was designated as the county seat. The site was named Concord. Two small frame buildings were then constructed for the county offices on the Courthouse Square at a cost of $2,580. Officers of the county were notified on December 4, 1865 that suitable offices were ready.

Interest in a brick courthouse began to grow, and in 1867 a motion for the construction of a brick building was presented by the Board of Supervisors, defeated in an election; another petition was resubmitted and again sent to the voters -- all in the span of just two months. On the second election, the motion was passed by the voters, and construction of the new courthouse began in 1868.

Grover R. Maben was in charge of construction and he used brick and timber, both of which came from his farm. The bricks were fired at his farm and the timber cut from his grove and shipped to Waterloo for final cutting. The building cost $10,000 and was ready for occupation in 1869.

The county seat remained in Concord for nearly 30 years, to the disgruntlement of some Hancock residents. Then, in 1898, the highly organized residents of Britt launched a campaign for the relocation of the county seat. They had plans drawn up, pictures of the proposed building, land ready for construction, and, more importantly, $25,000. The residents of Garner countered this action by annexing Concord (just one mile south of Garner) and contributing $30,000 for the purchase of a land and construction cost.

After many legal battles and verbal exchanges, construction began in Garner. Architect F. W. Kinney designed the building, and construction was done by Gross Construction of La Crosse, Wisc. The new courthouse was turned over to the county on November 15, 1899.

In the meantime, the county officers remained in Concord, and Britt did not concede defeat. However, at a November 3, 1903 election, and by a vote of 2,057 for and 568 against, the Board of Supervisors finally declared Garner to be the county seat and gave the county officers 30 days to move to the Garner courthouse. Garner has been the home of county offices since that time.
 

 

Neighboring Counties:
  • North: Winnebago County
  • Northeast: Worth County
  • East: Cerro Gordo County
  • Southeast: Franklin County
  • South: Wright County
  • Southwest: Humboldt County
  • Northwest: Kossuth County
Cities and Towns:
- Britt city Incorporated Area
- Corwith city Incorporated Area
- Crystal Lake city Incorporated Area
- Garner (County Seat) city Incorporated Area
- Goodell city Incorporated Area
- Kanawha city Incorporated Area
- Klemme city Incorporated Area
- Woden city Incorporated Area
County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here
 

 
 

 

County Resource Guide

Counties: US Map

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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