Johnson County is named for Richard Mentor Johnson, who was the ninth Vice President of the United States.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Linn County
E – Cedar County and Muscatine County
S – Louisa County and Washington County
W – Iowa County
Created: December 21, 1837 
County Seat:
Napoleon 1838 – 1842
Iowa City 1842 – present
County Courthouse – Iowa City
Location: 417 Clinton Street / West Court Street
Built: 1899 – 1900
Style: Richardsonian Romanesque Revival
Architect: Rush, Bowman & Co. Ltd
Contractor: Rowson & Son
Description: The building faces east and is a two story buff colored sandstone structure. The front has two rounded towers with conical roofs with the recessed entrance section in the center. The entrance has a large ornamented stone arch with impressive carvings. On the center of the roof is a large square stone tower with pitched roof. During construction, the superintendent was J J Holtz. The building houses the County District Court of the 6 Judicial District.
See: The contractor, James Rowson and Son, also constructed courthouses in Dallas County and Jasper County.
See: The 6th Judicial District includes Benton County, Iowa County, Jones County, Linn County and Tama County.
History: The county was created in 1837 and Napoleon was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was built in Napoleon in 1838. The county seat was moved to Iowa City in 1842 and the second courthouse was built in 1842. The third courthouse was built in 1856. The cost of construction of the present courthouse was $111,000.
County Courthouse – Iowa City
Photos taken 2008