Edmunds

Formed January 8, 1873 (19^th county)

Edmunds County (3,981), Ipswich (934)

The tan brick Art Deco courthouse was built in 1934.  A classier 1885 courthouse existed earlier in Ipswich, the only county seat.  The courthouse is at the intersection of 2^nd Street, 2^nd Avenue, 3^rd Street, and 3^rd Avenue.  United States Highway 12 is three blocks north.  The courthouse was designed by Roland R. Wilcken.  The county was formed on January 8, 1873 as the 19^th county.  The county is named for settler, Newton Edmunds.  Ipswich was named for Ipswich, England. 

The area of the county is 1146 square miles.  It is 24 out of 66 in the state.  It ranks 40 out of 66 in population in the state.  It has a density of 3.5 persons per square mile making it 46 out of 66 in the state.  Edmunds County has 46.1% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 12 crosses the county east to west from Brown County to Walworth County. 

Edmunds County government consists of a sheriff and 5 Commissioners.  Four Circuit Court Judges and One Magistrate Court Judge serve Edmunds, Brown, Campbell, Day, Faulk, Marshall, McPherson, Roberts, Spink, and Walworth counties.  Edmunds County is in the northern part of the state.  Pierre, South Dakota is southwest and Sioux Falls, South Dakota is southeast of the county.  The county center is 8.6 miles West of Ipswich.  The county is surrounded clockwise by McPherson, Brown, Spink, Faulk, Potter, and Walworth counties.  Edmunds County is a flat rectangular shape.  Ipswich is located in the eastern third of the county.  Ipswich is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 23.5% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced IP-SWICH.  This county is in the Aberdeen Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Roscoe