The official act of the
Territorial General Assembly authorizing the organization of Iowa county was
adopted during the winter of 1845 and 1846. The first settlement was made in
March, 1840. It will therefore appear that the county was not organized till
some four or five years after the first settlement. The Indian title to the
lands in the greater part of the county did not expire till may 1, 1843, and
after this date it was some time before the whites appeared in very considerable
numbers, so as to warrant the trouble and expense of separate organization.
After the first settlements of the county till organization, Iowa county was a
precinct of Johnson County. This condition of dependence was not calculated to
stimulate its growth, yet, during that time, it was surely though slowly laying
the foundation of future independence.
Iowa County seems to have prospered well during this period of loose,
half-formed organization. The settlers were too busy with their own affairs to
intermeddle with those of others, and so had little occasion to call for the
authority of the law. But it was soon apparent that the business affairs of the
community called for a county organization. Roads should be laid out, a county
seat located and other preparations made for a prosperous and thriving future.
So, in 1845, the county was formally organized in the manner spoken of more
fully under the head of county organization.
Iowa County derives its name from the Iowa River which runs through the county,
and for the Ioway Indian Tribe. It was a natural gateway to the west. Since the
mid-1800's, early pioneers traveled through Iowa County and into the Iowa
Wilderness. Pioneers and military wagon trains wound their way through oak
groves and expanses of tall-grass prairie along the Diamond trail. Settlers
followed the Iowa River and English River into the heart of the country,
settling on farms and in small towns.
The people of the county, at the time of its organizations, were mostly native
born Americans, with a healthy intermingling of thrifty and industrious
emigrants from Germany, Ireland and Sweden, and from that time to the present
the population has been mostly of that character. The county filled up steadily
and rapidly.
Action was first taken in regard to the selection of a county seat on August 16,
1845. The location of the county seat was chosen by commissioners who were
appointed by the legislative act to select the seat of justice. The county seat
was named Marengo because the countryside bore a strong resemblance to the
plains of 'Marengo' in Italy where Napoleon won a great battle from the Austrian
troops. The current courthouse was erected in 1892. It is a two-story, stone
building ornamented with turrets and a tower. It was constructed at a cost of
$57,608.
Iowa County is situated in the southern part of the east central section of
Iowa. The center of the county is about ninety miles directly west from the town
of Princeton on the Mississippi River, while the southeast corner of the county
is not more than half that distance from the river at its nearest point at
Muscatine. It is about fifty miles east and twenty-five south of the
geographical center of the state. Benton County bounds it on the north, Johnson
County on the east, Keokuk and Washington on the south, and Poweshiek on the
west. It is a square tract embracing sixteen congressional townships and on the
supposition that the Government survey is accurate, should contain 576 square
miles, or 368,640 acres. As a matter of fact, through inaccuracies in the
survey, it contains nearly three hundred and sixty-nine thousand acres. It
includes townships 78-81 north and rages 9-12 west of the fifth principal
meridian.
Iowa County is bisected by Interstate 80 and conveniently close to two of Iowa's
major metropolitan areas, Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. It boasts two of the
state's leading year-round tourist attractions, the quaint and picturesque Amana
Colonies and Tanger Outlet Mall, located in Williamsburg, Iowa adjacent to I-80.
Iowa County has the following incorporated cities; Marengo, Williamsburg,
Victor, Ladora, Millersburg, Parnell and North English. Conroy, Koszta and the
seven Amana villages lie in unincorporated areas.
Iowa County is also the home of several industries and
manufacturers:
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Williamsburg Manufacturing -
Williamsburg, Iowa - Heavy stamps |
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Victor Manufacturing - Victor,
Iowa - Same products as Williamsburg Manufacturing |
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Victor Plastics - Victor, Iowa -
Manufactures plastic parts for cars & trucks, plastic pieces for appliances etc. |
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Kinze Manufacturing -
Williamsburg, Iowa - Designs and builds farm equipment |
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Whirlpool Corporation - Amana,
Iowa - Manufacture kitchen appliances such as microwave ovens, stoves,
refrigerators and freezers |
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Pride of Iowa, Inc - Marengo, Iowa - Assemble
pre-packaged sandwiches and snacks for convenience and grocery stores and
vending machines. |
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American Color Graphics, Marengo, Iowa - Prints a
variety of flyers and magazines for advertisement inserts in newspapers
throughout the state, country as well as internationally. |
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Holden's Foundation Seeds LLC - Williamsburg, Iowa
- Corn seed research and genetics company |
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