Iowa County is named for the Iowa River which flows through the county and is named after the Ioway Native American tribe.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Benton County
E – Johnson County
S – Washington County and Keokuk County
W – Poweshiek County
Created: February 17, 1843
County Seat:
Marengo 1847 – present
County Courthouse – Marengo
Location: 901 Court Avenue / West Hilton Street
Built: 1892 – 1893
Style: Romanesque
Architect: Foster and Liebbe
Contractor: P H Wind
Description: The building faces east and is a two story buff colored Berea stone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds of the Courthouse Square in the center of Marengo. The building has a raised basement and the east front has a central tower rising 137 feet with arched entrance on the first story and rising to an octagonal tower at the fourth story with red conical roof above. The north and south sections project slightly from the building. On the north and south sides are small turrets rising above the hipped roof. In the interior are tile floors, wood trim and wood stairs. The County District Court courtroom is located on the southwest side of the second story. The judge’s bench has ornate wood carvings and along the rear side is a curved public seating section. The County Magistrate Court courtroom is located on the southeast side of the second story. The building houses the County District Court of the 6th Judicial District and the County Magistrate Court. On the west side of the building is the Sheriff’s Office.
See: The contractor, P H Wind also constructed the courthouse in Monona County.
See: The 6th Judicial District includes Benton County, Johnson County, Jones County, Linn County and Tama County.
History: The county was created in 1843 and Marengo was selected as the county seat in 1847. The first courthouse was a log cabin built in 1847 and the second courthouse was built in 1851. A third courthouse was built in 1861 at a cost of $2,000. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1892 to 1893 at a cost of $50,000.
County Courthouse – Marengo
County District Court courtroom
County Magistrate Court courtroom
Photos taken 2008 and 2024
Images 19*