Some authorities state that Allamakee County (662
square miles) was named for Allen Magee or Allan
Makee, an early Indian trader and trapper in northern
Iowa, who was familiarly known to the Winnebago
Indians and called in their guttural dialect,
Al-ma-gee. Others say the name is purely of Indian
origin. Each of these two theories has its
supporters.
The first county seat, selected in January 1849, was
in Jefferson Township, about one and on-half miles
northwest of Rossville, at a place known as “The
Old Stake.” However, the selection was
considered useless as there were other points of
greater importance already settled in Allamakee
County.
In April 1851, the citizens of the county voted upon
the location of the county seat. Vailsville (later
known as Harper’s Ferry), Smith’s Mill, and
Columbus (located on the river in Lansing Township,
near the town of Lansing) were considered, but none
received a majority of the vote. Another election was
held in May 1851 at which Columbus received a
majority of the votes and became the county seat.
Since this was so near the town of Lansing, a rivalry
developed between Columbus and Lansing. As a result,
a new commission was appointed by the General
Assembly in January 1853 to select a suitable site.
Actually, the first courthouse in Allamakee County
was a log house, built in 1852 near Waukon (commonly
spelled Wawkon in the early days and named for a
chief of the Winnebago Indians known to early
settlers as John Wawkon, whose name means
“Thunder” or “Spirit.)” This
building was used for county purposes only that year,
following which it was moved on into the town to
serve as a blacksmith ship. Later, it was again moved
to a farm, where it was used as a corn crib until
finally demolished.
The newly-appointed commissioners selected the town
of Waukon for the county seat and, at the elections
of April 1853, the question of removal to that place
was submitted to the people and carried by a large
vote. The people of Columbus fought this selection in
the courts, but were unsuccessful. The second
courthouse at Waukon was then built in 1853. This
small frame structure, costing $325, was used until
1857, when another frame building was added beside
it, and these two buildings were used for country
purposes until 1861, when the county seat was moved
again. This old courthouse at Waukon was razed in
1913.
Meanwhile, in March 1856, various petitions were
presented requesting removal of the county seat to
Rossville, Whaley, and Topliff’s Mill, but
Waukon won out.
The heated contest that developed between the towns
of Waukon and Lansing as to the location of the
county seat actually dated back to early 1859. Both
towns offered to build on suitable lots and, as an
inducement, present them to the county. Lansing
offered to donate $8,000 and Waukon $5,000. Following
an election in April 1859, a permanent courthouse was
erected and completed in Waukon during the years
1860-1861, at a cost of $13,655 (contractors Charles
W. Jenkins and John W. Pratt). Of this sum, $5,000
was contributed by citizens of Waukon, as promised.
Other hotly contested elections involving Columbus,
Lansing, and Waukon followed with the result that the
county seat was relocated at “The Point,”
between Lansing and Capoli, in 1861, where a
courthouse was erected in the same year. Built of
stone and somewhat smaller than the building at
Waukon, the $5,000 it cost was paid by citizens of
Lansing and given to the county.
In 1862 and again in 1864, Waukon made an effort to
regain the seat of justice. There followed an
exciting attempt in June 1866 to remove county
records and documents from The Point by a posse of 30
men from Waukon, but the “raid” failed, as
Lansing recovered the stolen records. However,
Lansing proved to be only a temporary choice as, in
1867, the county seat was returned to Waukon and the
waiting courthouse. Early in the spring of 1869 the
contest was reopened and “waxed warm,” but
Waukon won out as it did again during another county
seat election (number 10) in 1875—Waukon’s
final triumph in securing and retaining the county
seat, after a 25-year running battle.
The present courthouse, of modern design, was built
in Waukon in 1940-1941. The old courthouse went
unused from 1941 until 1964, after the new courthouse
was built. On July 10, 1964, the Allamakee County
Historical Society opened a museum in the old
courthouse completed in 1861. The “architectural
gem” contains a central hall with a
distinguished double stairway and solid walnut
railings. The former courtroom on the second floor is
furnished with old law books, judge’s chair and
bench, witness chair, and jury box.
A Civil War monument sits on an 11-foot-square
concrete base at the southeast corner of the
courthouse square. This statue of a soldier, standing
and holding his musket, dates back to the
1920’s. The stately elms that formerly graced
the courthouse fell victim to Dutch elm disease and
had to be removed in the fall of 1975 and replaced
with new trees.
~excerpt from: The Counties and Courthouses of
Iowa; by LeRoy G. Pratt; copyright 1977; First
Edition
~transcribed by Linda Ziemann
Allamakee county courthouse, undated
My Great-Great Grandmother, Caroline
Reed Cooper put together a "Childhood
Memories" photo album for her daughter, my Great
Grandmother Virginia Elizabeth Cooper Lenz. This
photo was in that album.
~contributed by Aubrie Lynn Lee
This
building is still the Allamakee county courthouse.
