Hamilton County - American Courthouses

Hamilton County is named for William W Hamilton, who served as President of the Iowa State Senate.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Wright County

E – Hardin County

S – Story County and Boone County

W – Webster County

Created: December 22, 1856

County Seat:

Webster City 1856 – present

County Courthouse – Webster City

Location: 2300 Superior Street / Fair Meadows Crescent

Built: 1975 – 1976

Style: Modern

Architect: Smith-Voorhees-Jensen Associates

Contractor: Sande Construction & Supply Co., Inc.

Description: The building faces south and is a two story tan colored brick, stone, glass and concrete structure. The building is located on spacious landscaped grounds on the south side of Webster City. The upper part of the building is tan colored brick and the lower part is black colored stone from Georgia. The entrance on the south side is recessed into the side of the hill with a black colored stone wall extending south. The windows are vertical and the roof line is flat In the interior the hallways run east-west and the lower story houses the administration. The second story houses the courts. The County Magistrate Court courtroom is located on the north side at the center. The County District Court courtroom is locates at the southwest side of the second story. The building houses the County District Court of the 2B Judicial District and the County Magistrate Court.

First County Courthouse – Webster City

Location: 1900 Superior Street / Pleasant Street

Built: 1866

Style: Federal

Architect: Unknown

Contractor: Unknown

Description: The building faces north and is a two story white colored wood frame structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on the spacious grounds of the Wilson Brewer Historic Park to south of the center of Webster City. The building has a hipped roof and the courtroom was located on the second story with access by outside stairs and the jail cell was at the center of the first story. The building was originally located on the Public Square at Bank Street and Seneca Street and then moved to Bank Street and Union Street in 1877 when the second courthouse was built.

History: The county was created in 1856 and Webster City was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was as two story wood frame structure built in 1866 at a cost of $1,934 and still stands on the grounds of the Wilson Brewer Historic Park. The second courthouse was a three story brick structure located at Banks Street and Des Moines Street and designed by Street & Baker and built by John M Rice in 1876 to 1877 at a cost of $50,000. The building was demolished when the third and present courthouse was constructed in 1975 to 1976.

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