Clarke County is named for James Clarke, who was appointed Governor of the Iowa Territory in 1854.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Madison County and Warren County
E – Lucas County
S – Decatur County
W – Union County
Created: January 13, 1846 
County Seat:
Osceola 1851 – present
County Courthouse – Osceola
Location: 100 South Main Street / West Washington Street
Built: 1956
Style: Modern
Architect: Williamson – Loebsack & Associates
Contractor: D C Bass & Sons Construction Company.
Description: The building faces southeast and is a two story light red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on spacious landscaped grounds in the center of Osceola. The building is “L” shaped with the two story section along the west side and a one story section extending east. The southeast entrance has a small brick portico with pitch roof. Along the south side are concrete pillars with white colored concrete facing above on the second story. The building alternates the brick and white colored concrete facing. The building houses the County District Court of the 3B Judicial District. An addition was added on the south side in 1995 creating the main southeast entrance. The architect was Moore Associates of Omaha, Nebraska and the contractor was Denis Delila Vedova, Inc. of Albia.
See: The 5B Judicial District includes Adair County. Decatur County, Lucas County, Ringold County, Taylor County, Union County and Wayne County.
History: The county was created in 1846 and Osceola was selected as the county seat in 1851 when the county was organized. The first courthouse was built in 1854 at a cost of $1,600. The second courthouse was built by Andersen in 1892. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1956 at a cost of $275,000.
County Courthouse – Osceola
Photos taken 2008