About Ringgold County Iowa

The Ringgold County Courthouse in Mount Ayr

Photo courtesy of Rick Wiley

The first original Ringgold County Courthouse was built in 1845 of a 14-foot square log building but disaster struck in a form of a cyclone wind and destroyed this building. In 1859 the county, built a new, larger, and better framed building, which served for 25 years. Then in 1884, a proposed new courthouse made out of bricks was built (Sketch of this on bottom right). About 1888, the second wood framed building was caught fire and destroyed. The new brick courthouse lasted about 40 years, until the inferior brick and lack of drainage cause extensive damages. It was condemned in 1921.

The county offices were a part of a garage, where the Napa Auto Parts is currently located for several years before they moved in to this building (Photo on the top left corner), which continue to served Ringgold County courthouse today.

The county was named in honor of Major Samuel B. Ringgold . He was mortally wounded during the Mexican War in 1846. It is believed that Ringgold County is the only one named in the United States.

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 Wars I and II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam Conflict. Also in the courtyard, there is a memorial statue honoring the county 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 imbedded 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.

In recent years a landscaping program has brought the beauty of new trees, shrubs, and flowers to the square.

Just as the early pioneers used the courthouse for many meetings in addition to its official functions, the courthouse is available to community groups for meetings, entertainment, and various activities. A good example is the hot cider and cookies served in the lobby during the Christmas walk.

Taken from History of County Governments in Iowa, published in 1992 by the Iowa State Association of Counties, Des Moines, Iowa

Counties Surrounding Ringgold County, Iowa

The county that is bordered on the north is UNION County, to the northwest ADAMS County and northeast CLARKE County; on the west is TAYLOR County and the is east DECATUR County; on the southwest WORTH County Missouri and southeast HARRISON County Missouri.