Crawford County Courthouse (Iowa) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Crawford County Courthouse
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 Location in Iowa
Location in the United States
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| Location | Broadway between Ave. B and Ave. C, Denison, Iowa |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1904-1905 |
| Architect | George A. Berlinghof |
| Architectural style | Beaux-Arts |
| MPS | County Courthouses in Iowa TR |
| NRHP reference No. | 81000232 |
| Added to NRHP | July 2, 1981 |
The Crawford County Courthouse is an important building in Denison, Iowa. It's where the main offices for Crawford County are located. It's also where important court decisions are made. This building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. This means it's recognized as a special place in American history. It's actually the second courthouse that Crawford County has used!
Contents
A Look Back: The Courthouse Story
How Denison Became the County Seat
Long ago, a man named J.W. Denison, who was a minister, owned a lot of land. He made a special offer. If a new town was named "Denison" and became the main town (the county seat) for the county, he would build a courthouse, a hotel, and a store. Everyone agreed, and that's how Denison got its name and became the county seat!
The First Courthouse
The very first courthouse was built in 1859. It was made of clay! This building was super busy. It wasn't just for court cases. People also used it for lectures, church meetings, big dinners, and even Sunday school.
The first Crawford County Fair was held right on the courthouse property in October 1860. Later, in the 1870s, a wooden part was added to the building. This made it twice as big! But some people thought it looked strange, and they called it "the wart." More additions were made in 1881.
Building the New Courthouse
By 1902, people decided they needed a brand new courthouse. They approved a plan to spend $75,000. But they needed more money, so they approved another $40,000.
The courthouse you see today was finished in 1905. It cost about $115,000 to build. A talented architect from Nebraska named George A. Berlinghof designed it. He used a fancy style called Beaux-Arts.
The outside of the building is covered with large blocks of Ohio marble. Some of these blocks weigh as much as seven tons! The courthouse originally had a big dome on top. But the dome became too heavy for the building. So, it was removed around 1945 to keep the building safe.
The old clay courthouse was sold in 1903. It was moved across the street. For many years after that, it was used for different businesses.
