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 of the Public Square 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 roof line is flat. In the interior is an entrance lobby at the southeast corner. A long hallway runs east-west in the east wing. The County Magistrate Court courtroom is located on the north side of the first story. The County District Court courtroom is located along the southwest side of the second story of the addition. The building houses the County District Court of the 5B 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.
Note: The second County Courthouse built in 1892 was located at the center of the Public Square. Construction on the present courthouse started in 1955 on the west side of the Public Square and the old courthouse was then demolished in 1955.
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
County District Court courtroom
Picture 1892 County Courthouse
County Magistrate Court courtroom
Photos taken 2008 and 2024