Chickasaw

Formed January 15, 1851 (58^th county)

Chickasaw County (12,015), New Hampton (3,495)                

The masonry building was built in 1929 at the corner of Prospect, Chestnut, Court, and Locust streets.  Iowa State Highway 24 is one block south of the site.  Previous courthouses were constructed in 1865 and 1881.  Ralston & Ralston are the designers for this Neo-Classical courthouse.  The grounds feature memorial walls and a veteran’s family statue.  The building has a working clock on the outside.  The county was established on January 15, 1851 from Fayette County as the 58^th county.  It is named for the Native American tribe.  Bradford was the first county seat.  In 1857 New Hampton became the county seat.  New Hampton is named for Hampton, New Hampshire.  The county center is 3.9 miles Northwest of New Hampton. 

Chickasaw County government consists of a sheriff and 5 Supervisors.  Twenty-seven District Court Judges and Sixteen Magistrates serve Chickasaw, Allamakee, Black Hawk, Buchanan, Clayton, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, Grundy, Howard, and Winneshiek counties.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Howard, Winneshiek, Fayette, Bremer, Floyd, Butler, and Mitchell counties. 

The county has an area of 505 square miles.  It is 69 of 99 in the state.  It ranks 63 out of 99 in population in the state.  It has a density of 23.8 persons per square mile making it 58 out of 99 in the state.  Chickasaw County has 58.8% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 18 crosses the county east to west from Fayette County to Floyd County.  United States Highway 63 goes north to south from Howard County to Bremer County.  United States Highway 218 clips the southwest corner from Floyd County, west, to Bremer County, south.  The county is a square.  New Hampton is at the center of the county.  New Hampton is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 29.1% of the county population.