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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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Pocahontas County, Iowa
Pocahontas County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: Pocahontas
Year Organized: 1851
Square Miles: 578 |
Court House: 99 Court Square
County Courthouse
Pocahontas, IA 50574-1629
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Etymology - Origin of County Name
Pocahontas is named for Pocahontas, the famous Native American who played a leading role in the history
of the first permanent English settlements in North America.
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick
Facts
History
Pocahontas County gets its name from
the Virginia Indian Princess. She saved the life of Captain John Smith and
married John Rolfe, both early settlers in America.
The county was established in 1851. Soon after the county's formal organization
in March 1859 there was a petition for the location of a county seat. Three
commissioners were appointed, but only two of them visited the newly-formed
county. Those two commissioners selected 200 acres near the West Fork of the Des
Moines River. The original name of the town was Highland, or Highland City. Over
the years it underwent several name changes; from Highland to Milton to (Old)
Rolfe and finally to Parvin.
The first courthouse was built in Rolfe, as it was then called. Swamp land funds
paid for a two-story, 36-foot x 50-foot Classic Revival courthouse. It was
constructed of bricks that were fired on the site and timber from nearby woods.
Lumber was sawed at the sawmill in Rolfe. The second floor of the courthouse was
used as a school; at this time the entire county was organized into one school
district.
The first school in Pocahontas County was held in the Hiatt log cabin home.
Later a brick schoolhouse was built west of the wooden courthouse. The brick for
this structure was formed and fired on the site.
In 1882 two railroads came to the county. Unfortunately they did not come to
Rolfe (now called Parvin.) With the decline of Parvin, there was a call to
relocate the county seat. In 1875 the citizens of Pocahontas County voted 356 to
57 in favor of moving the county seat to Pocahontas Center, later called
Pocahontas. The first wooden courthouse with attached brick wings was completed
in 1876 at a cost of $2,600. The records were soon moved from Parvin, and the
old courthouse was sold for $200.
On April 6, 1920 an election was held that authorized the construction of a new
courthouse. In the fall of that same year, a contract was let to architects
Proudfoot, Bird and Rawson, and to the contractor A. H. Neumann and Co. The
building was officially dedicated on September 3, 1923, Labor Day. The total
cost of the 121-foot x 86-foot Neo-Classical stone structure was $421,062.
The appearance of this courthouse -- the third in the county -- has been proudly
maintained and has kept pace with the needs of the citizens through progressive
times.
Neighboring Counties:
- North: Palo Alto County
- Northeast: Kossuth County
- East: Humboldt County
- Southeast: Webster County
- South: Calhoun County
- Southwest: Sac County
- West: Buena Vista County
- Northwest: Clay County
Cities and Towns:
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- Fonda |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Havelock |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Laurens |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Palmer |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Plover |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Pocahontas
(County
Seat) |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Rolfe |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Varina |
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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