Nodaway County is named for the Nodaway River which is named after a Potawatomi Indian word meaning “placid” or “jump over the river”, or from the Algonquin word meaning “snake or “enemy”.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Page County, Iowa and Taylor County, Iowa
E – Worth County and Gentry County
S – Andrew County
W – Holt County and Atchison County
Created: February 14, 1845
County Seat:
Maryville 1845 – present
County Courthouse – Maryville
Location: 305 North Main Street / West 3rd Street
Built: 1881 – 1882
Style: Romanesque Revival
Architect: Edmund J Eckel and George R Mann of St. Joseph
Contractor: R K Allen
Description: The building faces west and is a two story red colored brick and stone structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds of Courthouse Square in the center of Maryville. The building is 76 feet by 111 feet and is trimmed with sandstone. A white colored stone portico is at the first story on the west front. Above the portico rises a high thin brick clock tower with steep roof. The windows are trimmed with white colored stone. There are dormers in the roof. In the interior, the County Circuit Court courtroom is located on the second story. A new floor was installed in the courtroom in 1932 changing the direction so the courtroom room faces north rather than south. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 4th Judicial Circuit. Exterior renovations were made in 1950.
See: The architect, Edmund J Eckel and George R Mann of St. Joseph and the contractor, R K Allen, also designed and constructed the courthouse in Atchison County.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Nodaway County Courthouse
Note: In the jury box are rocking chairs. Also see Atchison County.
See: The 4th Judicial Circuit includes Atchison County, Gentry County, Holt County and Worth County.
History: The county was created in 1845 and Maryville was selected as the county seat. The first courts met in private homes. In 1846 to 1847, the first courthouse was a log cabin built by Benjamin Sims at a cost of $250. The second courthouse was designed by James Ray, the superintendent and constructed by James C Nelson in 1854 to 1855 at a cost of $4,461. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1881 to 1882 at a cost of $60,000.
County Administration Building – Maryville
Location: 403 North Market Street / E 4th Street
Built: 2007 – 2009
Style: Modern
Architect: Creal Clark & Seifert
Contractor: Erickson Crain Construction Management
Description: The building faces southwest and is a two story red colored brick, glass and concrete structure. The square shaped building is located on the landscaped grounds in the center of Maryville to the northeast of the courthouse. The southwest entrance has a curved canopy with large glass panel section above. The roof line is flat.
County Courthouse – Maryville
County District Court courtroom
Rocking chairs in jury box
County Administration Building – Maryville
Photos taken 2008, 2023 and 2026
Images 21*