|
Iowa State...
|
|
|
|
|
| |
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.
|
|
| |
|
|
Monroe County, Iowa
Monroe County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: Albia
Year Organized: 1843
Square Miles: 433
|
Court House: 10 Benton Avenue East
County Courthouse
Albia, IA 52531-2056
|
Etymology - Origin of County Name
Monroe is named for James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States.
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick
Facts
History
Monroe County, originally called
Kishkekosh County after a Fox Indian chief, is named after the author of the
Monroe Doctrine and fifth president of the United States James Monroe.
The county was established in 1843. When the county was being settled, there was
considerable controversy over the location of the county seat. The battle was
between the towns of Princeton (now Albia) and Clark's Point (Clarksville). On
August 5, 1845 a committee appointed to choose the county seat selected
Princeton as the county seat. In 1846 the Iowa Legislature changed the name of
Princeton to Albia, because there was already a Princeton in Iowa.
The first courthouse of Monroe County was a small log cabin, which was rented
out for $1 a month when court was not in session. This courthouse was 20-foot x
20-foot and one and one-half stories high. The contractor was paid $75 when it
was completed in 1846.
This courthouse was used until 1858 when it was replaced by the second Monroe
County courthouse. This building was built of brick at a cost of $10,900 and
located in the center of the town park.
The present courthouse replaced the second one on October 26, 1903. The original
price tag of this building was to be $75,000 but the actual price ended up being
$93,000. The Renaissance style building is built from stone and brick. The
architect was O. O. Smith and the contractor was James Rowson & Sons.
Neighboring Counties:
- Northeast: Mahaska County
- East: Wapello County
- Southeast: Davis County
- South: Appanoose County
- Southwest: Wayne County
- West: Lucas County
- Northwest: Marion County
Cities and Towns:
|
- Albia
(County Seat) |
city |
Incorporated Area |
|
- Lovilia |
city |
Incorporated Area |
|
- Melrose |
city |
Incorporated Area |
County Resources:
Enter County Resources and Information Here
|
|
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." |
|
|
| |
|
