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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.

Wayne County, Iowa

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

County Seat: Corydon
Year Organized: 1846
Square Miles: 526

Court House:

P.O. Box 435
County Courthouse
Corydon, IA 50060-0435

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Wayne is named for Anthony Wayne, the American Revolutionary War general.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Wayne County was established on January 13, 1846 and was formally organized on February 13, 1851. The county is named after General "Mad Anthony" Wayne, of the Revolutionary War.

Wayne County is unusual in that it is one of the few Iowa counties to have had only one county seat, Corydon. Corydon has had more than one name however. Originally called Springfield, the name Corydon was chosen by County Judge Seth Anderson, who won the right to name the town in a poker game. He named it after his hometown of Corydon, Indiana.

The first "courthouse" was built in 1852. It was a hastily built log cabin and was used even before it was completed. The floor was laid down loosely, the walls were not chinked and half of the roof was unfinished. The judge's desk was an old keg, and the jury would go to the slough or ravine to decide cases. This building was used for four years. Then, in 1856, William F. Lancaster and John Davis built a small building to use as a courthouse at a cost of $600. When this building was abandoned by the county in 1871, the business of the county was conducted in various downtown buildings.

Several attempts were made to vote bonds for a new courthouse between 1869 and 1889, but all failed. Around this time the town of Allerton became a contender for the county seat. Finally, with the help of people favorable to Corydon, a subscription was started in 1890 to build a new courthouse. Around $19,000 was raised, and construction began on the new courthouse in 1891. The contractors were E. A. Rea and Alex Mardis. The courthouse was made of red brick that was made and burned at Corydon.

After nearly 73 years of service, the courthouse was declared unsafe by a grand jury. A $450,000 bond issue was approved in September of 1962 by the voters in a special election for a new courthouse. The new courthouse was designed by the architects Frankhiser and Hutchens and was built by Grabau Construction. A ceremony for the laying of the cornerstone was held on August 15, 1964, and the new courthouse was finished later that same year. It is a three-story, modern looking facility and lies just east of the previous one.

Source: Burton, Warren, History Of Wayne County, Iowa, 1956

Neighboring Counties:

North: Lucas County
Northeast: Monroe County
East: Appanoose County
Southeast: Putnam County, Mo.
Southwest: Mercer County, Mo.
West: Decatur County
Northwest: Clarke County

Cities and Towns:

- Allerton	city	Incorporated Area
- Clio	city	Incorporated Area
- Corydon (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Humeston	city	Incorporated Area
- Le Roy	city	Incorporated Area
- Lineville	city	Incorporated Area
- Millerton	city	Incorporated Area
- Promise City	city	Incorporated Area
- Seymour	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."