Iron County - American Courthouses

Iron County is named for the abundance of iron ore in the area.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Crawford County, Washington County and St. Francois County

E – St. Francois County, Madison County and Wayne County

S – Wayne County

W – Reynolds County, Dent County and Crawford County

Created: February 17, 1857

County Seat:

Ironton 1857 – present

County Courthouse – Ironton

Location: 250 South Main Street / West Wayne Street

Built: 1858 – 1860

Style: Federalist and Greek Revival

Architect: Henry H Wright

Contractor: George S Evans and William F Mitchell

Description: The building faces east and is a two story light red colored brick, wood and stone structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Ironton. The building was originally 50 feet by 65 feet. There is white colored stone trim at the corners. The second story windows are arched. A white colored horizontal stone band runs between the first and second stories. A small white colored octagonal cupola sits above the east entrance. The roof is hipped with gable ends. In the interior, the first story has a long easy-west hallway. The curving staircase with molded handrail, turned balusters and octagonal newel post leads up to the second story. The County Circuit Court courtroom occupies most of the second story. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 42nd Judicial Circuit. In 1964, a three story addition was added to the west side which extended the building to 110 feet. The architect was Hutchens and Frangkiser of Kansas City, Missouri and the contractor was Bonnot Construction Company of Ulman. On the west side is the old Sheriff Residence and Jail designed by B Shepherd and built by Thompson and Flynn in 1866 to 1867. The building was restored in 2020 to 2025. The contractor was Brockmiller Construction of Farmington.

See: National Register of Historic Places – Iron County Courthouse Complex

See: The 42nd Judicial Circuit includes Crawford County, Dent County, Reynolds County and Wayne County.

History: The county was created in 1857 and Ironton was selected as the county seat. The first and present courthouse was constructed in 1858 to 1860 at a cost of $14, 000. The cost of construction of the addition constructed in 1964 was $113,241.

Note: The highest point in Missouri is Taum Sauk Mountain at 1,772 feet ( 540 meters ) which is located in the county.