Greene County - American Courthouses

Greene County is named for Nathanael Greene, who was a general in the American Revolutionary War.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Calhoun County and Webster County

E – Boone County

S – Dallas County and Guthrie County

W – Carroll County

Created: January 15, 1851

County Seat:

Jefferson 1856 – present

County Courthouse – Jefferson

Location: 204 South Chestnut Street / East State Street

Built: 1915 – 1917

Style: Classical Revival

Architect: Proudfoot, Bird and Rawson

Contractor: The Rowles Company

Description: The building faces south and is a three story Bedford stone and concrete structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on spacious landscaped grounds in the center of Jefferson. The south front has six high columns rising from the second story to the top of the third story with a pediment containing a clock. The first story has horizontal stone blocks. The roof line is flat. In the interior is a large rotunda with skylight and four murals painted by William Peaco and titled “The Buffalo Hunt”, “The Emigrants”, “The Pioneer”, and “The Modern Farm”. In the 1950’s, artist John Pritchard replaced “The Buffalo Hunt” with a farm scene featuring a combine, with a city in the background. These murals are similar to the murals in the Lyon County Courthouse in Rock Rapids The rotunda floor is a mosaic in deramic tile, depicting the county seal. The main staircase is marble with ornamental balustrades of bronze-plated iron. The County Magistrate Court courtroom is located on the south side of the third story. The County District Court courtroom is located on the east side of the third story. The building houses the County District Court of the 2B Judicial District. On the grounds is the Mahanay Memorial Tower which was built in 1966 and is 165 feet high with a reflecting pool. The tower contains four bells. The bells were specially made in the Netherlands for the $350,000 tower.

See: The architect, Proudfoot and Bird also designed courthouses in Dallas County, Jasper County, Pocahontas County and Polk County.

See: National Register of Historic Places – Greene County Courthouse

See: The 2B Judicial District includes Boone County, Calhoun County, Hamilton County, Hardin County, Humboldt County, Marshall County, Pocahontas County, Story County, Webster County and Wright County.

History: The county was created in 1851 and Jefferson was selected as the county seat in 1856. The first court met in the Thomas Phillips Building in Jefferson and a courthouse was built in 1856 at a cost of $1,825. The second courthouse was built at a cost of $37,000. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1915 to 1917 at a cost of $200,000.