Monroe County Courthouse

Court in Monroe County was first convened in a log house at Clark’s Point with Judge Charles Mason presiding. The house had no floor, so the judge, lawyers, and court officials slept on the ground, and because there was no barn, the horses were tied under the trees until a severe storm led to their being brought into the courtroom for the night, giving rise to the story that the first court was held in a barn. Monroe County’s first courthouse was built in 1846 on the east side of the square near the alley as a log structure 20 feet square and 14 feet high, constructed for $75, with additional money appropriated for chinking, 50 lights of glass, and a loft. In 1858, a new courthouse of local brick was constructed on the present site at a total cost of $11,350. In 1910, time and the county’s growth led voters to approve a $75,000 bond issue for the present courthouse, later raised to $100,000. Its cornerstone was laid August 29, 1902. The three-story building was constructed of Cleveland stone known as “Grey Canyon,” with Tennessee marble throughout the interior. A Seth Thomas tower clock costing $740 was installed in the courthouse tower, later electrified and still in use. A 1,000-pound pure metal bell made of New Lake Superior copper and East India black tin was also purchased from Seth Thomas for $300; it was removed from the clock tower in 1970 and is now displayed on the east side of the courthouse park. The building strongly influenced later design in Albia by introducing stone as a building material and neo-classical architecture to the business district, and it was named to the National Register of Historic Places on July 2, 1981.

Albia, Iowa · United States