Mahaska

Formed February 17, 1843 (26^th county)

Mahaska County (22,180), Oskaloosa (11,549)

The contrasting red and white bricks and stone of the 1886 Romanesque building stand out.  It is at 1^st and High streets.  United States Highway 63 is one block to the west of the site.  H. C. Koch and Company are the building architects.  The facility features a clock tower.  The park across the street has veteran memorials and a gazebo.  Mahaska County was established on February 17, 1843 from Native American Territory as the 26^th county.  Oskaloosa has always been the county seat.  It is named for a Native American chief.  Oskaloosa was the wife of Native American Chief Osceola.  Mahaska County was the birthplace of 1 Iowa Governor, William S. Beardsley. 

Mahaska County government consists of a sheriff, a recorder, an attorney, a treasurer, and an assessor (executive).  It has 3 Supervisors (legislative.)  Fifteen District Court Judges and Thirteen Magistrates serve Mahaska, Appanoose, Davis, Des Moines, Henry, Jefferson, Keokuk, Lee, Louisa, Monroe, Poweshiek, Van Buren, Wapello, and Washington counties (judicial.) Mahaska County is in southeast Iowa to the southeast of Des Moines, Iowa.  The county center is 4.2 miles Northwest of Oskaloosa nearer Evans.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Poweshiek, Keokuk, Wapello, Monroe, Marion, and Jasper counties. 

The county has an area of 571 square miles.  It is 47 of 99 in the state.  It ranks 28 out of 99 in population in the state.  It has a density of 38.8 persons per square mile making it 28 out of 99 in the state.  Mahaska County has 68.7% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 63 crosses the county north to south from Poweshiek County to Wapello County.  The county is a rectangle.  The county seat is in the southern third of the county.  Oskaloosa is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 52.1% of the county population.  The county is pronounced MA-HAS-KA.  The county seat is pronounced OS-KA-LOO-SA.  This county is in the Oskaloosa Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Eddyville