The Lee County Courthouse in Fort Madison, Iowa

Fort Madison, Iowa

Fort Madison, situated on the Mississippi River, is a city in and one of the county seats of Lee County, Iowa, United States. The other county seat is Keokuk. The population was 10,715 at the 2000 census...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 was built in 1842. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 in 1976 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. The courthouse serves the court functions and county administration for the northern part of Lee County

Lee County, Iowa

-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 35,862 in the county, with a population density of . There were 16,205 housing units, of which 14,610 were occupied.-2000 census:...

, and is the county’s first courthouse. Southern Lee County is served from a courthouse in Keokuk

Keokuk, Iowa

Keokuk is a city in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Iowa and one of the county seats of Lee County. The other county seat is Fort Madison. The population was 11,427 at the 2000 census. The city is named after the Sauk Chief Keokuk, who is thought to be buried in Rand Park...

 in a former Federal Courthouse building. It is listed on the NRHP as the U.S. Post Office and Courthouse

U.S. Post Office and Courthouse (Keokuk, Iowa)

The U.S. Post Office and Courthouse in Keokuk, Iowa was built in 1887. It reflects Late Victorian and "round-arch Victorian" architecture. It served historically as a Federal courthouse and as a post office. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The...

. Lee County is the only Iowa county that has more than one courthouse.

History

Construction began on the courthouse in 1841 and it was completed the following year for about $12,000. The basement walls are constructed of stone and the upper walls are faced in brick. Four large Tuscan columns hold up the porch roof on the Greek Revival style building. The building was extensively remolded in 1876 and again after a fire in 1911.