Cedar County is named for the Red Cedar River which runs through the county and which river is named for the cedar tree.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Jones County
E – Clinton County and Scott County
S – Muscatine County
W – Johnson County and Linn County
Created: December 21, 1837
County Seat:
Rochester 1840 – 1841
Tipton 1841 – present
County Courthouse – Tipton
Location: 400 Cedar Street / 4th Street
Built: 1965 – 1966
Style: Modern
Architect: Soenke & Wayland
Contractor: Schoff Construction
Description: The building faces west and is a two story buff colored brick and concrete structure. The rectangular building is located on spacious landscaped grounds in the center of Tipton. The west front has a recessed entrance at the center with three small windows above on the second story. There is a wide projecting band around the roof. The roof line is flat. In the interior there is an entrance lobby on the west side and the hallways run north-south. The County District Court courtroom is located at the center of the east side on the second story. The county Magistrate Court courtroom is located on the south side of the second story. The building houses the District Court of the 7th Judicial District and the County Magistrate Court.
See: The 7th Judicial District includes Clinton County, Jackson County, Muscatine County and Scott County.
History: The county was created in 1837 and Rochester was selected as the county seat in 1840 when the county was organized. The first courthouse was a log structure built in Rochester in 1840. The county seat was moved to Tipton in 1841. The second courthouse was a two story frame structure built in Tipton in 1841 to 1845 due to difficulties with the builder. In 1859, the third courthouse was a brick structure designed by W L Carroll and built by Ed Godden and Samuel Tomlinson at a cost of $45,000. The building was expanded in 1889 and 1901. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1965 to 1966 at a cost of $595,000.
County Courthouse – Tipton
County District Court courtroom
County Magistrate Court courtroom
Bell 1859 County Courthouse
Photos taken 2008 and 2024
Images 18*