e-ReferenceDesk's College and 50 State Learning Resource Guide

Find Online Colleges

Find Campus Colleges

Iowa State...

Iowa

Choose a County

Adair, Adams, Allamakee, Appanoose, Audubon, Benton, Black Hawk, Boone, Bremer, Buchanan, Buena Vista, Butler, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Cedar, Cerro Gordo, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Clarke, Clay, Clayton, Clinton, Crawford, Dallas, Davis, Decatur, Delaware, Des Moines, Dickinson, Dubuque, Emmet, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Fremont, Greene, Grundy, Guthrie, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin, Harrison, Henry, Howard, Humboldt, Ida, Iowa, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Jones, Keokuk, Kossuth, Lee, Linn, Louisa, Lucas, Lyon, Madison, Mahaska, Marion, Marshall, Mills, Mitchell, Monona, Monroe, Montgomery, Muscatine, O'Brien, Osceola, Page, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Pocahontas, Polk, Pottawattamie, Poweshiek, Ringgold, Sac, Scott, Shelby, Sioux, Story, Tama, Taylor, Union, Van Buren, Wapello, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Webster, Winnebago, Winneshiek, Woodbury, Worth, Wright

Iowa Counties

Click Image to Enlarge

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.

Jasper County, Iowa

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

County Seat: Newton
Year Organized: 1846
Square Miles: 730

Court House:

P.O. Box 944
County Courthouse
Newton, IA 50208-0944

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Jasper is named for William Jasper, a hero of the American Revolutionary War.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Jasper County, with an area of 736 square miles, was named in honor of Revolutionary War hero Sergeant William Jasper. The county seat Newton was named after Sergeant Newton. Newton and Jasper both served under General Francis Marion, "The Swamp Fox."

The first county elections were held on April 6, 1846, and the first county business was conducted on April 14, 1846. In the summer of 1846 the commissioners selected Newton City as the county seat. On February 3, 1847 the legislature shortened the name to Newton.

In 1846, before a courthouse had been constructed at Newton, one was built at Adamson's Grove. This building was offered to the county but it was declined.

Finally, in 1847, the first courthouse was constructed at Newton. It was a small, inexpensive building. Evan Adamson was paid $87.50 to construct it. In 1857 this building was sold and moved to a farm.

In 1858 a more elaborate and appropriate building was built. The 62-foot x 50-foot two-story structure was sandstone and brick and faced with limestone. The building served the county for several years until it became unsanitary and a firetrap. In 1909 it was torn down.

The present courthouse was dedicated on April 6, 1911. The large three-story building is made entirely of Bedford limestone. Only the doors and window casings are made from wood. The interior is decorated with ceramic tile and marble wainscoting.

A clock tower rises 56 feet above the roof. The four dials of the clock measure 8 feet in height. Private funds in the amount of $1,200 were donated for its purchase. Total cost, including furnishings, was $200,226.

Source: Nancy Parrot, Jasper County Recorder, 2002

Neighboring Counties:

North: Marshall County
Northeast: Tama County
East: Poweshiek County
Southeast: Mahaska County
South: Marion County
West: Polk County
Northwest: Story County

Cities and Towns:

- Baxter	city	Incorporated Area
- Colfax	city	Incorporated Area
- Kellogg	city	Incorporated Area
- Lambs Grove	city	Incorporated Area
- Lynnville	city	Incorporated Area
- Mingo	city	Incorporated Area
- Monroe	city	Incorporated Area
- Newton (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Prairie City	city	Incorporated Area
- Reasnor	city	Incorporated Area
- Sully	city	Incorporated Area
- Valeria	city	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resources

The history of our nation was a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names given the counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of this 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."