Ida County is named for Ida Smith, who was the first European-American born in the county.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Cherokee County
E – Sac County
S – Crawford County
W – Woodbury County
Created: January 15, 1851
County Seat:
Ida Grove 1851 – present
County Courthouse – Ida Grove
Location: 401 Moorehead Street / 4th Street
Built: 1880 – 1883
Style: Victorian
Architect: J P Bryant
Contractor: W Townsend and J M Starbuck
Description: The building faces west and is a two story red colored brick and stone structure. The building is located on the landscaped grounds of the Courthouse Square which sits on a hill in the center of Ida Grove. The west front has a 110 foot square brick tower with steep peaked silver colored roof. The north and south sides project in tiers with a peaked roof at the top of the center section. Tall slender windows, regularly spaced, are topped with simple but ornamental stone headings. Other horizontal stone elements appear in the window sills and at story levels. The roof is hipped. In the interior there is a central hallway on the first story and wood stairs ascending to the second story. The former jail cells are located in the basement. Many of original furnishings remain. The County Magistrate Court courtroom is located on the south side of the first story. The County District Court courtroom is located on the south side of the second story. The building was remodeled in 1930 and 1936. On the north side is the one story County Courthouse Annex constructed in 1982, The architect was Duffy, Mannes and Brygger and the contractor was United Builders. The annex was removed in 2024 by LL Builders Company of Sioux City.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Ida County Courthouse
See: The 3B Judicial District includes Crawford County, Monona County, Plymouth County, Sioux County and Woodbury County.
History: The county was created in 1851 and Ida Grove was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was built in 1872 and a fire destroyed the building in 1877. The second and present courthouse was constructed in 1880 to 1883.
County Courthouse – Ida Grove
County District Court courtroom
County Magistrate Court courtroom
County Administration Building – Ida Grove
Photos taken 2008 and 2024
Images 19*