Audubon County is named for John James Audubon, who was a famous naturalist and who died in 1855.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Carroll County
E – Guthrie County
S – Cass County
W – Shelby County
Created: January 15, 1851
County Seat:
Hamlin’s Grove 1851 – 1861
Exira 1861 – 1879
Audubon 1879 – present
County Courthouse – Audubon
Location: 318 Leroy Street / Broadway Street
Built: 1938 – 1939
Style: Art Deco and Moderne
Architect: Keffer & Jones of Des Moines
Contractor: J C Mayer of Clarion
Description: The building faces southwest and is a two story buff colored brick, limestone, glass and concrete structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Audubon. The building has a raised Bedford limestone basement. The southwest front has wide vertical Bedford limestone dividers at the central section, separating the windows. The central entrance is framed by limestone. The roof line is flat. In the interior, the central corridors extend east-west for the length of the building. There are multi-colored terrazzo floors, marble wainscoting and acoustic tiles. The County District Court courtroom is located on the southwest side of the second story. Originally, the courtroom was decorated in dark wood tones and Art Deco ornamentation. The floor is covered in the original brown and rust-red colored asphalt title. The walls and ceiling are covered in plaster and the ceiling extends into the third story. The building houses the County District Court of the 4th Judicial District. The building was a Public Works Administration project. In 2024, the building was renovated (HVAC). The contractor was Graphite Construction of Des Moines.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Audubon County Courthouse
See: The 4th Judicial District includes Cass County, Fremont County, Harrison County, Mills County, Montgomery County, Page County, Pottawattamie County and Shelby County.
Old County Courthouse (demolished) – Exira
Location: 200 East Washington Street / North Kilworth Street
Built: 1872 – 1874
Style: Wood frame
Architect: Exira Hall Company
Contractor: Exira Hall Company
Description: The building faced south and was a two story white colored wood frame style structure. The rectangular shaped building was located on landscaped grounds in the center of Exira. The building had a stone foundation and the entrance was located at the south side. The roof was hipped. In the interior, the county offices were located on the first story. Stairs at the rear ascended to the courtroom located on the second story. The building served as the courthouse until 1879. The building was used to house the Audubon County Historical Society and was demolished in 2024.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Old Audubon County Courthouse
History: The county was created in 1851 and Hamlin’s Grove was selected as the county seat. The first court met in a school house in Hamlin’s Grove. In 1861 the county seat was moved to Exira. The county used rented premises until the county seat issue was resolved. The first courthouse was built in Exira in 1872 at a cost of $2,200 and was demolished in 2025. In 1879 the county seat was moved to Audubon. A building was acquired in Audubon at a cost of $7,000 for use as the second courthouse. The building was demolished in 1939. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1938 to 1939 at a cost of $133,000.
County Courthouse – Audubon
County District Court courtroom (renovation HVAC)
Picture 1884 County Courthouse
Photos taken 2008, 2023 and 2024
Images 18