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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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Lee County, Iowa
Lee County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: Fort Madison
Year Organized: 1836
Square Miles: 517 |
Court House: 933 Avenue H
County Office Building
Fort Madison, IA 52627-4540
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Etymology - Origin of County Name
Lee is named for probably William Elliot Lee, a land dealer who owned an area of Iowa that included the
future county.
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick
Facts
History
It is believed that the county is
named for William Elliot Lee of New York. His land company, Marsh, Lee and
Delevan had extensive holdings in Iowa's "Half-breed Tract." This Tract later
became part of Lee County.
The first permanent settlement within Lee County was at Keokuk in 1829. The
county was established in 1836 and originated in 1838. The town of Fort Madison
was named as the seat of justice by the Legislature of the Territory of
Wisconsin on January 18, 1838. There was much controversy over the location of
Fort Madison as the county seat. Residents away from the Mississippi River
complained that it was too far away from the center of the county. The locating
commissioners then declared Franklin as the county seat. Dissatisfaction just
increased following this; no county building was ever built at Franklin. The
matter was settled at a special election. Contenders for the county seat were
Fort Madison, West Point and Franklin. Prior to the election Fort Madison
pledged $13,559 towards a new courthouse, if it was located there. Fort Madison
won the election, and construction began in July 1841. The building was
completed on September 3, 1842.
This did not end the county seat battle, however. A group from West Point
petitioned the Legislative Assembly of the Iowa Territory to remove the county
seat to West Point. The assembly agreed and named West Point as the new county
seat.
West Point agreed to build a brick courthouse with a stone foundation. It was to
be completed by September 1, 1844. Fort Madison was to remain the county seat
for one more year, then the courthouse would be sold with two-thirds of the
proceeds going back to Fort Madison. That auction never took place, and West
Point was never the county seat. During that year the appeal of West Point as
the county seat faded so the county seat remained at Fort Madison.
Another special election was held to relocate the county seat. The contenders
this time were Charleston, Franklin, Keokuk, Montrose, West Point and Fort
Madison. Again Fort Madison was named the county seat.
The population of Lee County became so high that a rivalry for the county seat
soon developed between the population centers of the county, Keokuk and Fort
Madison. Because of this, the General Assembly passed a special Act,
establishing two county seats in Lee County. One was at Fort Madison and the
other at Keokuk. This makes Lee County the only county in Iowa to have two
county seats.
The present courthouse at Keokuk is the renovated Post Office building built in
1890.
The original courthouse at Fort Madison was designed by Father Samuel
Mazzuchelli. County offices were moved in 1978 to a newly-constructed county
office building. The old courthouse is still used for court-related functions.
Even though there have been numerous court battles and editorials over the
county seat question, both towns function as the county seat of Lee County.
Neighboring Counties:
- North: Henry County
- Northeast: Des Moines County; Henderson County, Ill.
- Southeast: Hancock County, Ill.
- Southwest: Clark County, Mo.
- Northwest: Van Buren County
Cities and Towns:
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- Donnellson |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Fort Madison
(County
Seat) |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Franklin |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Houghton |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Keokuk |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Montrose |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- St. Paul |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- West Point |
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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