The Jackson County Courthouse, also known as Old Jackson County Courthouse or Bellevue Elementary School, is a historic building and former courthouse for
Jackson County, Iowa, United States. It is located in
Bellevue and was built in the
vernacular
Vernacular is the ordinary, informal, spoken language, spoken form of language, particularly when perceptual dialectology, perceived as having lower social status or less Prestige (sociolinguistics), prestige than standard language, which is mor ...
Greek Revival
Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...
style in 1845. It currently serves as a portion of
Bellevue Elementary School, the oldest functioning school in the state of Iowa.
History
When the
Wisconsin Territory created Jackson,
Jones, and
Linn counties in 1837, Bellevue was named as the seat of justice for all three.
Stock thief and counterfeiter W.W. Brown doctored a legitimate petition to have himself named as the organizing sheriff of Jackson County. The position went to Captain W.A. Warren instead.
Completed in 1845, this building is one of the oldest structures in
Iowa
Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...
used as a courthouse after
Lee (1841) and
Van Buren (1843) counties.
[ with ] It is also one of seven extant courthouse buildings in the Greek Revival style in the state. This building was a victim of the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
rivalry that moved the Jackson County seat between Bellevue (1838–48),
Andrew
Andrew is the English form of the given name, common in many countries. The word is derived from the , ''Andreas'', itself related to ''aner/andros'', "man" (as opposed to "woman"), thus meaning "manly" and, as consequence, "brave", "strong", "c ...
(1848-51), Bellevue again (1851–61), Andrew once more (1861-73), finally ending up in
Maquoketa in 1873.
The courthouse was converted fully to use as a school in 1861,
[ it is the pre-kindergarten through fifth grade Bellevue Elementary School in the Bellevue Community School District serving over 350 students.]town square
A town square (or public square, urban square, city square or simply square), also called a plaza or piazza, is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town or city, and which is used for community gatherings. Relat ...
setting, but has since been paved with asphalt with trees removed. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
on July 2, 1981.
Architecture
The Old Jackson County Courthouse is a two-story, brick, vernacular
Vernacular is the ordinary, informal, spoken language, spoken form of language, particularly when perceptual dialectology, perceived as having lower social status or less Prestige (sociolinguistics), prestige than standard language, which is mor ...
Greek Revival
Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...
structure. It takes the form of a traditional Greek temple without a portico. Unadorned, 2-story wings flank the main façade
A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face".
In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...
to the north and south. The building is capped with a hip roof with one gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...
. On the roof above the arched main entrance once stood a large cupola
In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout.
The word derives, via Ital ...
featuring a cloister vault shaped roof and large bell. The cupola was removed sometime during the mid 20th century due to deterioration and leaks in the roof. Other decorative elements of the building include a classical pediment
Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...
with a returned cornice and half-moon window as well as simple brick projecting pilaster
In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...
s on all three sides of the main façade. Native limestone gathered from local quarries make up the exposed rough cut foundation, window sills, lintels, and front steps. Although the interior was altered drastically numerous times throughout the past 175 years to accommodate changing education practices and modern amenities, it still retains tin ceilings (mostly covered by dropped ceilings), much of its original woodwork (although heavily painted and damaged), and its grand stairway with large wooden newel posts. Other antique features include original schoolhouse style glass light fixtures from the early 1900s, cast iron radiators, and some original window panes.
Future
Discussion began in 2017 to determine the future of the building. Following two failed bond referendums, taking place in 2018 and 2019 respectively, a third referendum was passed with 66% approval of school district voters.
See also
* Jackson County Courthouse (Maquoketa, Iowa)
References
{{NRHP in Jackson County, Iowa
Courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa
Former courthouses in Iowa
Buildings and structures in Jackson County, Iowa
Greek Revival architecture in Iowa
National Register of Historic Places in Jackson County, Iowa
1845 establishments in Iowa Territory
Bellevue, Iowa