Ringgold

Formed December 24, 1847 (51^st county)

Ringgold County (4,663), Mount Ayr (1,627)

The red brick and masonry Tudor Revival and Classical Revival structure, built in 1926, is on a square surrounded by Madison, Taylor, Monroe, and Fillmore streets.  United States Highway 169 is three blocks to the south of the facility.  There was an 1884 courthouse following the December 24, 1847 county founding.  Keffer & Jones are the architects.  The grounds feature veteran memorials, Liberty Bell, memorial benches, and an old telephone booth.  Internally the building has marble walls.  Mount Ayr has always been the county seat.  The county was taken from Taylor County as the 51^st county.  Ringgold County is named for Mexican War hero Major Samuel Ringgold.  The county seat is named for Ayre, Scotland.  

Ringgold County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Supervisors.  Fifty-nine District Court Judges and Twenty-one Magistrates serve Ringgold, Adair, Adams, Clarke, Dallas, Decatur, Guthrie, Jasper, Lucas, Madison, Marion, Polk, Taylor, Union, Warren, and Wayne counties.  The county is on the Missouri border in southern Iowa.  Des Moines, Iowa is northeast of the county.  The county center is 2.5 miles North of Mount Ayr.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Union, Clark, and Decatur counties and Missouri and Taylor and Adams counties. 

The county has an area of 538 square miles.  It is 62 of 99 in the state.  It ranks 98 out of 99 in population in the state.  It has a density of 8.7 persons per square mile making it 99 out of 99 in the state.  Ringgold County has 54.1% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 169 travels north to south in the county from Union County to Missouri.  The county is a square.  Mount Ayr is located slightly south of the county center.  Mount Ayr is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 34.9% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced MOUNT AER.