Schuyler County is named for Philip Schuyler, who was a general during the American Revolution, a delegate to the Continental Congress and a Senator from New York.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Appanoose County, Iowa and Davis County, Iowa
E – Scotland County
S – Adair County
Created: February 14, 1845
County Seat:
Tippecanoe 1845
Lancaster 1845 – present
County Courthouse – Lancaster
Location: 1 Courthouse Square – Jackson Street / Marion Street
Built: 1960 – 1961
Style: Federalist
Architect: Kenneth O von Achen
Contractor: J J Watson and R W Warren of Kansas City.
Description: The building faces south and is a two story red colored brick, stone and concrete structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Lancaster. The building has a wide pediment on the south side with four stone pillars framing the first story entrance and windows. There is a peaked roof with a small cupola in the center. The north side of the building has a recessed center section with over hanging roof. In the interior the hallways run north-south and east-west. The County Circuit Court courtroom is located on the south side of the second story. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 1st Judicial Circuit.
See: The 1st Judicial Circuit includes Clark County and Scotland County.
History: The county was created in 1845 and Tippecanoe was designated as the county seat. In the same year, the county seat was moved to Lancaster. The first courthouse was a weatherboard structure built by Cahill Parks in 1845. The building was destroyed by fire in 1887. The second courthouse was a two story brick structure designed by Yelverton W Payton and built by William L Shane in 1856 at a cost of $9,000. The building was demolished when the third courthouse was designed by C A Dunham of Burlington, Iowa and built by L S Atchison of Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1895 at a cost of $22,233. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1960 to 1961 at a cost of $254,351.
County Courthouse – Lancaster
County Circuit Court courtroom
Cornerstone from 1895 County Courthouse
Photos taken 2009 and 2026
Images 13*