The Guthrie County Courthouse is located in

Guthrie Center, Iowa Guthrie Center is a city in Guthrie County, Iowa, United States, along the Raccoon River, South Raccoon River. The population was 1,593 at the time of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is the county seat of Guthrie County, Iowa, Guthr ...

, United States. The current facility is the fourth structure in Guthrie Center to house county administration and court functions since 1859.

History

Prior to 1859, Panora was the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

and the county clerk housed the records in his log cabin as there was no courthouse. He sold

whiskey Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden ...

and

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). Th ...

from the same building, and in 1857, he accidentally ignited a keg of gunpowder destroying the cabin and all its contents. An order for a courthouse had been issued in 1853, but it had not been built. Another order was issued in 1857, but it was annulled and the contractor was paid $200 in damages. A series of county seat battles ensued between Panora and Guthrie Center with each taking turns as the victor. The first courthouse for the county was a two-story frame building of native wood built in Panora in 1859. The building was subsequently removed from the center of the public square and it was replaced by a high school. The building itself became an agriculture warehouse. A new brick courthouse that was capped with a dome was completed in 1877 in Guthrie Center. The $22,500 building was paid for by the sale of swamp land in the county. On March 3, 1882, it was destroyed by fire. A clerk saved the county records. The following year, the third courthouse, a three-story, brick

Renaissance Revival Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range o ...

structure, was built, featuring cut-stone facings and trim. The construction cost was $25,000. This building would serve the county for 80 years. In 1963, the fourth courthouse was under construction in the courtyard next to the third courthouse when the older building was destroyed by fire on November 27, 1963. Luckily some of the records had already been removed from the old building so the loss wasn't as great as prior fires. The present courthouse is a three-story building that occupies a sloped site exposing the northern part of the ground level. The structure is

modern Modern may refer to: History * Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Phil ...

in design and faced with red brick and accented by precast concrete panels. It was completed in 1964 at a total cost of $417,000 and its dedication was held on June 12, 1965.

References

{{County courthouses in Iowa , state=collapsed Government buildings completed in 1964 Modernist architecture in Iowa County courthouses in Iowa Buildings and structures in Guthrie County, Iowa 1964 establishments in Iowa