Washington County is named for George Washington, who was the first President of the United States from 1789 to 1797.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Iowa County and Johnson County
E – Johnson County and Louisa County
S – Henry County and Jefferson County
W – Keokuk County
Created: January 25, 1839
County Seat:
Washington 1839 – present
County Courthouse – Washington
Location: 224 West Main Street / North B Avenue
Built: 1885 – 1887
Style: Romanesque
Architect: Foster & Liebbe
Contractor: Thomas Colwell and Hugh Colwell
Description: The building faces south and is a three story red colored brick, wood and concrete structure. The building is located in the center of Washington. On the southwest corner is a large square brick clock tower rising six stories to a clock and steep roof. The tower houses a bell made of bronze, tin and brass. At the base is a pediment with a statue of Justice at the top. The south entrance projects from the building on the first story. The east section also projects and has a pitched roof line. There is white colored stone trim along the windows. The foundation is a course white colored stone. In the interior is wood trim and title floors. The County District Court courtroom is located on the side of the second story. There is a small courtroom on the southeast side and the County Magistrate Court courtroom is located on the southwest side of the second story. The building houses the County District Court of the 8A Judicial District and the County Magistrate Court.
Note: The main entrance was located at the southwest corner but was later closed and the entrance is now on the west side. Interior stairs still descend to the former entrance.
See: The 8A Judicial District includes Appanoose County, Davis County, Jefferson County, Keokuk County, Mahaska County, Monroe County, Poweshiek County, Van Buren County and Wapello County.
History: The county was created in 1839 and Washington was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was built in 1839 at a cost of $759 and the second courthouse was built in 1847. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1885 to 1887 at a cost of $75,000.
County Courthouse – Washington
County District Court courtroom
County District Court small courtroom
Photos taken 2008, 2012 and 2024
Images 16*