# Decatur County Courthouse (Iowa)

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The **Decatur County Courthouse**, located in [Leon, Iowa](/source/Leon,_Iowa), United States, was built in 1908. It was listed on the [National Register of Historic Places](/source/National_Register_of_Historic_Places) in 1981 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource.[1] The courthouse is the sixth building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

## History

The first courthouse in [Decatur County](/source/Decatur_County,_Iowa) was a log structure built in Leon in for $375.[2][3] The county soon outgrew the building and it became a hotel. It was replaced by a small structure that was declared unusable soon after it was built. The next courthouse was destroyed in a windstorm before it was finished, and a fire destroyed the fourth courthouse along with the county records. The fifth courthouse was a brick structure that was built for $20,000.[2] In 1876, thieves attempted to open the county treasurer's safe and when they set off explosives they blew up that side of the building, but were unable to crack the safe.[2][4] The building was rebuilt and served as the county courthouse until the present building replaced it in 1908.

The present courthouse is a two-story structure built over a raised basement. The main floors are clad in brick and the foundation is stone. The [Des Moines](/source/Des_Moines,_Iowa) architectural firm of [Smith, Wetherell and Gage](/source/Frank_E._Wetherell) designed the [Renaissance Revival](/source/Renaissance_Revival_architecture) building. The central clock tower is its prominent feature.[5] The modified [Gibbs surrounds](/source/Gibbs_surround) around the second and third floor windows is another defining feature. Iron, stone, steel, tile, brick, marble, and granite were all used in its construction so as to protect it from fire, wind, and any other malady.[3] The courthouse's significance is derived from its association with county government, and the political power and prestige of Leon as the [county seat](/source/County_seat).[5]

## References

1. ["Decatur County Courthouse"](https://web.archive.org/web/20180501093123/https://www.iowacourts.gov/for-the-public/iowa-courts-history/iowa-county-courthouse-history/decatur-county-courthouse/). Iowa Judicial Branch. Archived from [the original](https://www.iowacourts.gov/for-the-public/iowa-courts-history/iowa-county-courthouse-history/decatur-county-courthouse) on May 1, 2018. Retrieved 2011-03-03.

1. Stanek, Edward and Jacqueline (1976). *Iowa's Magnificent County Courthouses*. Des Moines: Wallace-Homestead. p. 60. ISBN 0-87069-189-9.

1. Smith, Heman Conoman (1915). [*History of Decatur County, Iowa, and Its People, Volume 1*](https://books.google.com/books?id=bIQUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA22-IA1). S. J. Clarke Publishing Company. p. 22.

1. M.H. Bowers. "Decatur County Courthouse". [National Park Service](/source/National_Park_Service). Retrieved 2018-08-30. with

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Decatur County Courthouse (Iowa)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decatur_County_Courthouse_(Iowa)) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decatur_County_Courthouse_(Iowa)?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.