Appanoose County Courthouse
Van Buren and N. 12th St., Centerville, IAThis courthouse is locally significant as the historical focus of county government, and of the political power and prestige derived from the community's status as the county seat. As the center of county government, an Iowa town was reasonably assured of economic and population growth, and a prominent role in local social and political life. The county courthouse represents a significant public investment in a structure built not simply for utilitarian purposes, but also as a monument associated with the historical importance of county organization and development.
The first courthouse in Appanoose county was really no courthouse at all. The court was held in a small storeroom and the jury deliberated in the blacksmith's shop. The judge's bench was really the store's counter and a barrel was the clerk's table. Sometimes court was held in the blacksmith's shop and here the judge made use of the anvil for his bench and the clerk sat at the bellows. Nevertheless, the court's business was carried on very competently.
The first true courthouse in Centerville was a 24 by 20 foot 1% story cabin built of logs erected at a total expense of $160. It was used for only ten years, from 1848 to 1858, at which time it was so dreadfully outgrown that it could no longer be used. Up until the time that the second courthouse was built, the Methodist and Presbyterian churches served as temporary courtrooms.
The second courthouse was a brick structure of two stories and a basement, costing the county $23,000. This one was utilized until 1891 when it was declared unsafe and condemned.
The third and present courthouse is a handsome structure of stone with a tile roof. Completed in 1904, it "rises majestically in the center of the park, with each of its four faces turned to one of the main thoroughfares of the city". An imposing tower rises from the center of the building, "in which has been placed.... a clock of fine workmanship which, from its four dials the time of day or night can be seen from a great distance".
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1981.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.