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Iowa Counties
There are ninety-nine counties in Iowa. The first two counties, Des Moines County and Dubuque County, were created in 1834 when Iowa was still part of the Michigan Territory. In preparation for Michigan's statehood, part of Michigan Territory was formed into Wisconsin Territory in 1836]. Two years later, the western portion was split off to become Iowa Territory. The south-eastern part of Iowa Territory became Iowa, the 29th state in the union, on 28 December 1846, by which point 44 Counties had been created. Counties continued to be created by the state government until 1857, when the last county, Humboldt County, was created.Van Buren County, Iowa
Van Buren County Education, Geography, and History
Van Buren County is a county located in the state of Iowa. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 7,570. Van Buren County was created on December 7, 1836. The county seat is Keosauqua. The county is named for President Martin Van Buren.
Etymology - Origin of Van Buren County Name
Van Buren county is named for Martin Van Buren, the eighth president of the United States.
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts
Van Buren County History
Van Buren County was established on
December 7, 1836 and was named in honor of Martin Van Buren, 8th president of
the United States.
In the spring of 1837 the first court and county commissioners meeting was held
at Farmington. On December 16, 1837, the Legislature of the Wisconsin territory
passed an Act changing the county seat from Farmington to Rochester. This Act
was vetoed by the territorial governor. At an election held in 1838, the city of
Keosauqua edged out Bentonsport for the honor of being the county seat.
Another legislative Act approved on January 25, 1839, required the town to
contribute at least $5000 in lots or materials for the erecting of a courthouse,
if it wished to remain the county seat. On May 30, 1840, the county
commissioners accepted a contract in the amount of $6500 from John Fairman and
James Hall to build the courthouse. Sewall Kenny and Henry King were appointed
as building agents. On January 7, 1841, the county commissioners rescinded the
appointment of the building agents, transferring that responsibility to Edwin
Manning, who finished the courthouse at a cost of $6712 in September of 1843.
The Van Buren County Courthouse is the oldest in Iowa and second oldest in the
nation that has been in continuous use since its completion in 1843. It is of
Greek Revival Style of architecture. Its massive support structure, framing
material, and finish trims were taken from nearby trees. The brick was also of
local production. At the time of its building, the courtroom on the second floor
was the largest auditorium in Iowa unbroken by columns or pillars. Although the
10 foot square tower, which rose 16 feet above the comb of the building and the
two walnut circular staircases have been gone for over 140 years, much that
remains of the building is original. Major restoration of interior of the
courthouse took place in 1981-83, with exterior renovations completed in 1997.
The first legal death penalty in Iowa, the only one in Van Buren County, was
handed down in the courtroom in 1845, a case on a change of venue from
Washington County.
The subject was found guilty and hanged north of the courthouse in "Hangman's
Hollow" on April 4, 1846.
The walls of the courthouse display pictures of many of the attorneys and judges
that practiced in the courtroom. Included in those is a picture of US District
Court Judge, Henry C. Caldwell, who was the last judge named by President
Abraham Lincoln.
Other buildings making up the courthouse complex include a Law Enforcement
Center ,located directly north of the courthouse. It was completed in 1993 with an
addition added in 1998, replacing an old jail that was built in 1856. The county
office building, located directly south of the courthouse was built in 1896,
replacing one that was built in 1855 and destroyed by fire in 1896. An annex
addition was constructed to the east of the county office building in 1978-79.
Source: John Finney, Van Buren County Auditor, 2002
Geography: Land and Water
As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 491 square miles (1,270 km2), of which 485 square miles (1,260 km2) is land and 5.7 square miles (15 km2) (1.2%) is water.
Van Buren county is located in southeast Iowa. The county consists of
rolling hills the tall grass prairies.
Neighboring Counties
Bordering counties are as follows:
- North: Jefferson County
- Northeast: Henry County
- Southeast: Lee County; Clark County, Mo.
- Southwest: Scotland County, Mo.
- West: Davis County
- Northwest: Wapello County
Education
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