1907 - Decatur County Courthouse - Leon, Ia.
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iconions
N 40° 44.445 W 093° 44.790
15T E 436972 N 4510246
This three-story stone and red brick building is located at 207 N. Main in Leon, Ia.
Waymark Code: WMMDAA
Location: Iowa, United States
Date Posted: 09/04/2014
Views: 2
The Cornerstone of this Courthouse is located on the southwest corner of the building. This is an unusual location for a Mason laid cornerstone which normally is placed in the northeast. The text of the cornerstone's west face reads:
Supervisors
W.L. Edmondson C.W. Barr J.F. Hacker
S.P. Wiley A.B. McClaran
Smith, Wetherell & Gage Architects
Lauritzen Bros. Contractors
J.A. Wilson Sup't J.J. Peterson General Foreman
May 23, 1907
South face reads:
Laid by the Grand Lodge of Iowa
A.F. and A.M.
May 23 (Masonic Compass and Square) A.D. 1907
From Wikipedia on the history of the Decatur County Courthouses:
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visit link)
"The Decatur County Courthouse, located in Leon, Iowa, United States, was built in 1908. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource.[1] The courthouse is the sixth building the county has used for court functions and county administration.
History[edit]
The first courthouse in Decatur County was a log structure built in Leon in for $375.[2] The county soon outgrew the building and it was replaced by a small structure that was declared unusable soon after it was built. The next courthouse was destroyed in a windstorm before it was finished, and a fire destroyed the fourth courthouse along with the county records. The fifth courthouse was a brick structure that was built for $20,000.[2] In 1876, thieves attempted to open the Treasurer’s safe and when they set off explosives they blew up that side of the building, but were unable to crack the safe.[2][3] The building was rebuilt and served as the county courthouse until the present building was opened in 1908. Iron, stone, steel, tile, brick, marble and granite were all used in its construction."
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