Putnam County is named for Israel Putnam, who was an American army general who fought in the Battle of Bunker Hill during the American Civil War.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Wayne County, Iowa and Appanoose County, Iowa
E – Schuyler County
S – Adair County and Sullivan County
W – Mercer County
Created: February 28, 1845
County Seat:
Putnamville 1845 – 1847
Winchester 1848 – 1851
Fairplay 1851 – 1853
Unionville 1853 – present
County Courthouse – Unionville
Location: 1601 Main Street / South 16th Street
Built: 1923 – 1924
Style: Classical Revival
Architect: J G Braecklein of Kansas City
Contractor: George H Gassman Construction Company
Description: The building faces north and is a three story gray colored Carthage stone and concrete structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Unionville. The building is 62 feet by 92 feet. The north front has a small projecting entrance portico. A projecting cornice runs below the flat roof line. On each of the four sides are clocks above the roof line. In the interior is a small central rotunda. The County Circuit Court courtroom is located on the third story. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 3rd Judicial Circuit.
See: The 3rd Judicial Circuit includes Grundy County, Harrison County, Mercer County and Putnam County.
History: The county was created in 1845 and Putnamville was designated as the county seat. The first courthouse was built by Joseph Guffey in Putnamville in 1845 for $169. In 1847 the county seat was moved to Calhoun. In 1849, the county seat was moved to Winchester and the second courthouse was built and then sold in 1854. In 1851, the county seat was moved to Fairplay ( Hartford ) and the third courthouse was built in 1851 and sold in 1855. The county seat was moved to Unionville in 1853. David Thatcher was the superintendent of construction of the fourth courthouse, a log structure, built at a cost of $250 in Unionville in about 1853 to 1854 west of the public square. Construction on the fifth courthouse, a two story brick structure, began in 1857 with Smith A John as superintendent of the building, which cost $11,175. The building was sold in 1890 and the county was without a courthouse for 30 years. The sixth courthouse was constructed in 1923 to 1924 at a cost of $128,000.
County Courthouse – Unionville
Photos taken 2009