Lucas

Formed January 13, 1846 (35^th county)

Lucas County (8,636), Chariton (4,194)

The stone Romanesque design of the 1893 courthouse stands in a square surrounded by Braden, Grand, Court, and Main streets.  United States Highway 34 is two blocks east of the building.  Foster & Liebbe provided the designs.  The structure features a clock tower, memorials and a gazebo.  Lucas County was created on January 13, 1846 from Monroe County as the 35^th county with Chariton as the only county seat.  Its namesake is Territorial Governor Robert Lucas.  The county seat is named for the Chariton River. 

Lucas County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Supervisors.  Fifty-nine District Court Judges and Twenty-one Magistrates serve Lucas, Adair, Adams, Clarke, Dallas, Decatur, Guthrie, Jasper, Madison, Marion, Polk, Ringgold, Taylor, Union, Warren, and Wayne counties.  The county is located in southern Iowa south of Des Moines, Iowa.  The county center is in Chariton .7 miles West-Northwest of the city center.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Marion, Monroe, Appanoose, Wayne, Decatur, Clarke, and Warren counties. 

The county has an area of 431 square miles.  It is 88 of 99 in the state.  It ranks 85 out of 99 in population in the state.  It has a density of 20.0 persons per square mile making it 72 out of 99 in the state.  Lucas County has 58.4% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 34 crosses east to west in the county from Monroe County to Clarke County.  United States Highway 65 travels north to south from Warren County to Wayne County.  The county is a rectangle.  Chariton is located slightly southeast of the county’s center.  Chariton is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 48.6% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced CHAR-I-TON.