Old Harrison County Courthouse (Iowa) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Old Harrison County Courthouse
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 Location in Iowa
Location in the United States
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| Location | 410 Locust St. Magnolia, Iowa |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1873 |
| MPS | County Courthouses in Iowa TR |
| NRHP reference No. | 83000365 |
| Added to NRHP | February 24, 1983 |
The Old Harrison County Courthouse is a historic building in Magnolia, Iowa, USA. It was built in 1873. This building is special because it was once a courthouse for Harrison County, Iowa. In 1983, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This list helps protect important historical places. This courthouse was actually the third building used by the county for its government work.
History of the Courthouse
Magnolia, Iowa was the very first "county seat" for Harrison County, Iowa. A county seat is like the main town where the county government offices are.
The first courthouse was a simple log cabin. Sadly, it burned down, and all the county's important papers were lost.
In 1854, a second courthouse was built. The money for this building came from selling small pieces of land in the town. But by 1873, this building was considered unsafe.
So, the county built the third courthouse in the same year, 1873. This is the building we now call the Old Harrison County Courthouse. It served as the county's main government building for three years.
In 1876, the town of Logan, Iowa became the new county seat. This meant the courthouse in Magnolia was no longer needed for county business.
After its time as a courthouse, the building was used as a Methodist Episcopal church until at least 1938.
This old courthouse is important because it's one of the few former courthouses still standing in Iowa. It also reminds us of the early days of county government. It shows how towns would sometimes compete to be the county seat.
Building Design
The Old Harrison County Courthouse has a mostly rectangular shape. Its outside walls are made of brick laid in a pattern called a "common bond." This is a way bricks are stacked to make a strong wall.
There is a small porch in the middle of the front of the building. It has special flat columns, called "pilasters," that frame the main door. The doorway itself has been made narrower over time.
The bottom edges of the windows are made of stone. The building has a "hip roof," which means all sides of the roof slope downwards to the walls.
