Ringgold County Courthouse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Ringgold County Courthouse
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 Location in Iowa
Location in the United States
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| Location | Madison St. Mount Ayr, Iowa |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1926-1927 |
| Built by | L.T. Grisman Company |
| Architect | Keffer & Jones |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| MPS | County Courthouses in Iowa TR |
| NRHP reference No. | 81000267 |
| Added to NRHP | July 2, 1981 |
The Ringgold County Courthouse is an important building in Mount Ayr, Iowa, United States. It was built in 1927 and is where the local government for Ringgold County does its work. This building is special because it's the fourth courthouse the county has used! It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981, which means it's recognized as a historic landmark.
Contents
A Look Back: The Courthouse Story
The Ringgold County Courthouse has a long and interesting history. Over the years, the county has used four different buildings for its government and court activities.
The First Courthouse: A Log Cabin
The very first courthouse in Ringgold County was a simple log cabin. It was built in 1856. Sadly, just two years later, a powerful tornado destroyed it. The logs from the cabin were saved and used to build a new house.
The Second Courthouse: A Frame Building
After the tornado, a new building was needed. The second courthouse was made of wood and cost the county $3,500 to build. It had two stories and was about 60 by 20 feet (18.3 by 6.1 m) in size.
The Third Courthouse: Fire and New Plans
The third courthouse was a brick and stone building. It was still being built when a fire destroyed it on Thanksgiving Day in 1889. Even with the fire, a new brick and stone courthouse was finished. It cost $36,455. This building had 2½ stories and measured about 96 by 77 feet (29 by 23 m). It also had a tall central tower that reached 102 feet (31 m) into the sky.
However, this third courthouse was declared unsafe in 1921. This meant it was no longer safe to use. The county paid someone $500 to tear it down.
The Current Courthouse: A Modern Design
In 1926, the people of Ringgold County voted to approve a new courthouse. This is the building you see today! It's a three-story brick building that measures about 91 by 86 feet (28 by 26 m). It cost $132,533 to build.
The building was designed by a company called Keffer & Jones, who were architects from Des Moines. The L.T. Grisman Company built it.
Building Style: Simple and Strong
The Ringgold County Courthouse has a style that is sometimes called "budget classical." This means it uses ideas from Classical and Beaux-Arts designs, but in a simpler way. The building focuses more on being useful than on fancy decorations.
The courthouse is made of red brick and concrete. You can see stone trim that goes across the building between the first and second floors. There's also a stone cornice (a decorative ledge) above the third floor. The building has a flat roof.
This courthouse is important because it shows the role of county government. It also highlights the importance of Mount Ayr as the county seat, which is the main town where the county government is located.
