|
Jasper County Courthouse
|
|
|
Jasper County Courthouse
|
|
|
|
|
| Location: | 1st Ave. between W. 1rst St. & W. 2nd Sts., Newton, Iowa |
|---|---|
| Area: | less than one acre |
| Built: | 1909 |
| Architect: | Proudfoot & Bird |
| Architectural style: | Beaux Arts |
| Governing body: | Local |
| MPS: | County Courthouses in Iowa TR |
| NRHP Reference#: | 81000249[1] |
| Added to NRHP: | July 02, 1981 |
The Jasper County Courthouse in Newton, Iowa is a building from 1909. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.[1]
Court was first held in 1846 at someone's log cabin[2] while the first courthouse was built with lumber in 1847 that was 18 by 30 feet and cost a total of $87.50 to build. It was later moved to a farm close to Newton. A second courthouse was built in 1857 out of limestone and bricks for a total cost of $26,600. First dedicated in 1911, the third and current courthouse still stands.[3] The current courthouse is built out of limestone except for the doors and window casings which are built out of wood.[4] American general and Iowa politician James B. Weaver wrote of the current courthouse in the 1912 county history, "long after the pages of this county history are worn and turned yellow with age, in all human probability this building will stand in all its massive beauty".[3] The Jasper County Medical Society held their annual meetings at the courthouse.[5]
The courthouse stands 121 by 80 feet with a 140 foot tower with a clock. The clock was created with the help of private donations. The interior has ceramic tile and marble and the outside of the building is decorated during Christmas.[4] There was a renovation of the courthouse in 1986 that fixed the interior and involved the dome and paintings.[2] The current governor of Iowa Terry Branstad visited the courthouse for its 100th anniversary on July 4, 2011.[6] People have said that the courthouse is "the most beautiful county capitol in Iowa".[4]
|
||||||||||||||||||||