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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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Henry County, Iowa
Henry County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: Mount Pleasant
Year Organized: 1836
Square Miles: 434 |
Court House: P.O. Box 149
County Courthouse
Mount Pleasant, IA 52641-0149
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Etymology - Origin of County Name
Henry is named for Henry Dodge, a governor of the Wisconsin Territory (which included present-day
Iowa) and later U. S. senator from Wisconsin.
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick
Facts
History
The boundaries of Henry County were
defined by the Territorial Legislature of Wisconsin in 1836, but it was not
legally established until 1837 by the Iowa Territorial Legislature. Prior to
establishment of Jefferson County on the west in 1839, all of that part of the
Black Hawk Purchase situated in the present county of Jefferson, was attached to
Henry County for judicial purposes.
The county was named for Henry Dodge, who was a general in the Black Hawk War
and was governor of the Wisconsin Territory.
The first courthouse in the state of Iowa was built in Mount Pleasant in 1839. A
second courthouse, used from 1871 - 1914 was the remodeled "Hill Hall," on the
same block as the county jail. When it was put up for sale in 1914 it only
brought $247.50. The present building was completed in 1914.
The earliest roads followed the tops of ridges and Indian paths. Later, they cut
straight against the plain. Many of these roads still retain their original
locations as originally surveyed and laid out.
Henry County was the only county in Iowa to have two military roads, present
US route 218 was one of them.
Sources:
Iowa Press Assn. "Who's Who in Iowa" copyright 1940
Henry County Bicentennial Commission
Neighboring Counties:
- Northeast: Louisa County
- East: Des Moines County
- South: Lee County
- Southwest: Van Buren County
- West: Jefferson County
- Northwest: Washington County
Cities and Towns:
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- Coppock |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Hillsboro |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Mount Pleasant
(County
Seat) |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Mount Union |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- New London |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Olds |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Rome |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Salem |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Wayland |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Westwood |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Winfield |
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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