Boone County is named for Nathan Boone, who was the son of Daniel Boone an American pioneer who has founded Boonesborough in Kentucky.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Webster County and Hamilton
E – Story County
S – Polk County and Dallas County
W – Greene County
Created: January 13, 1846
County Seat:
Boonesboro 1846 – 1891
Boone 1892 – present
County Courthouse – Boone
Location: 201 South State Street / West 2nd Street
Built: 1916 – 1918
Style: Second Renaissance
Architect: Norman T Vorse of Des Moines
Contractor: L H Boyd of Boyd Construction Company of Saint Paul, Minnesota
Description: The building faces east and is a four story stone and concrete structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on the landscaped grounds of the Public Square in the center of Boone. The east front has eight tall Corinthian columns rising from the second story to the fourth story with recessed windows between. The first story has stone blocks with recessed windows. A dentilated cornice circles the building. The roof line is flat. In the interior of the building are marble walls with terrazzo floors, coffered ceilings and a stained glass skylight. The first story has a spacious lobby. The courtroom is located on the third story. The building houses the County District Court of the 2B Judicial District.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Boone County Courthouse
Note: In 1916 the fifth courthouse was given to the Boone Biblical Ministries and was moved across the street while the county employees continued to work in the building. Not a drop of ink was spilled. The building continued as a courthouse until 1918 when the sixth courthouse was completed.
See: The 2B Judicial District includes Calhoun County, Greene County, Hamilton County, Hardin County, Humboldt County, Marshall County, Pocahontas County, Story County, Webster County and Wright County.
History: The county was created in 1846 and Boonesboro was selected as the county seat. The court first met at the residences of John Boyles, John M Wane and John M Crooks. In 1851 the first courthouse was a log schoolhouse located on Honey Creek. The second courthouse was a log cabin built by Wesley C Hull in 1851 near the Public Square. In 1853, the third courthouse was a new log schoolhouse. The fourth courthouse was a two story frame structure built on the corner of Third Street and Fremont Street in 1856 to 1857 at a cost of $2,100. The fifth courthouse was a brick structure built by Delos Arnold in 1868 at a cost of $38,000. In 1892 the county seat name was changed to Boone when Boonesboro and Montana merged. The sixth and present courthouse was constructed in 1916 to 1917 at a cost of $250,000.
County Courthouse – Boone
County District Court courtroom
Photos taken 2008