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Iowa Counties
There are ninety-nine counties in Iowa. The first two counties, Des Moines County and Dubuque County, were created in 1834 when Iowa was still part of the Michigan Territory. In preparation for Michigan's statehood, part of Michigan Territory was formed into Wisconsin Territory in 1836]. Two years later, the western portion was split off to become Iowa Territory. The south-eastern part of Iowa Territory became Iowa, the 29th state in the union, on 28 December 1846, by which point 44 Counties had been created. Counties continued to be created by the state government until 1857, when the last county, Humboldt County, was created.Ringgold County, Iowa
Ringgold County Education, Geography, and History
Ringgold County is a county located in the state of Iowa. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 5,131, making it the second-least populous county in Iowa. Ringgold County was created on February 24, 1847. The county seat is Mount Ayr. The county is named after Major Samuel Ringgold, a hero of the Battle of Palo Alto fought in May 1846, during the Mexican-American War.
Etymology - Origin of Ringgold County Name
Ringgold county is named for Major Samuel B. Ringgold, who was killed in the Mexican-American War.
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts
Ringgold County History
Ringgold County was named after Major
Samuel Ringgold who was fatally wounded in the Mexican War. The county was
established in 1847 and originated in 1855. It is one of the 26 Iowa counties
which has a name not shared with any other county in the United States.
The first courthouse in Ringgold County was a 14 foot square log building built
in 1856. The first supplies purchased for the new government seat included 6
loads of wood at $.80 per load, 40 pounds of candles costing $11.40 and two
boxes of envelopes at $3.50. Today electricity, heat and water cost
approximately $20,600.00 a year. Disaster in the form of a cyclone wind struck
the building and the logs and records blew in all directions. Some were never
recovered.
In 1859 the county built a new, larger, better wood frame building. It was
located on the east side of the square. This building served Ringgold County for
about 25 years. Then in 1884 a large brick building was completed from bricks
made and fired in this county. It stood in the center of the courthouse square.
About four years later the old wood frame courthouse caught fire and was
destroyed on Thanksgiving night. The new courthouse lasted about forty years.
Inferior brick and lack of drain tiles caused such large cracks that it was
condemned as unsafe in 1921. The county offices moved into the beautiful brick
building we use today, after using a garage, west of the Post Office, for
several years. In the first floor lobby hangs a plaque with the names of all the
Ringgold County servicemen who gave their lives for our country. These men
fought in the Civil War, World War I & II, Korean War, Vietnam Conflict, &
Desert Storm. Also, in our courtyard, we have a memorial statue honoring our
servicemen. The inscription reads: "In memory of the men who gave their lives to
the defense of their country". Until World War II there was a large cannon
mounted on the northwest courthouse lawn. On the east lawn stood a tall
flagpole. The base was shaped somewhat in a pyramid with large cannon balls
embedded in the cement. On Saturday evenings in the summer, children loved to
climb on both while their parents listened to band concerts from the bandstand
on the north lawn.
The present courthouse, also built of brick in 1926-27, remains in good
condition today. New windows were added in 1974-75. In the spring of 1997 the
interior walls of the entire courthouse got a sprucing up. This was also the
year of installing the computer network system as we pursue updating our
services through modern technology. The addition of an elevator and re-locating
Secondary Roads offices in their new building in 1999, brought about the
remodeling and re-location of several offices within the courthouse. The
courthouse continues to be modernized with Internet capabilities serving the
needs of the various county/state offices while maintaining its historical
charm.
In recent years a landscaping program has brought the beauty of new trees,
shrubs, flowers & new lighting to the Square. A new sound system is also being
added to the courtyard in 2002.
Just as the early pioneers used the courthouse for many meetings in addition to
it's official functions. Our courthouse is available to community groups for
meetings, entertainment and various activities.
Sources:
Karen Schaefer, Ringgold County Recorder
Tara Lynch, Ringgold County Deputy Recorder
A Centennial History of Mount Ayr, Iowa by Jack Terry
Geography: Land and Water
As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 539 square miles (1,400 km2), of which 535 square miles (1,390 km2) is land and 3.4 square miles (8.8 km2) (0.6%) is water.
Ringgold county is located in south Iowa. Sun Valley Lake is located in this rural county.
Neighboring Counties
Bordering counties are as follows:
- North: Union County
- Northeast: Clarke County
- East: Decatur County
- Southeast: Harrison County, Mo.
- Southwest: Worth County, Mo.
- West: Taylor County
- Northwest: Adams County
Education
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