| Franklin County Courthouse | |
| Nrhp Type: | indcp |
| Nocat: | yes |
| Partof Refnum: | 03000834 |
| Location: | Central Ave. and 1st St., NW., Hampton, Iowa |
| Coordinates: | 42.7414°N -93.2089°W |
| Mapframe: | yes |
| Mapframe-Marker: | building |
| Mapframe-Zoom: | 12 |
| Mapframe-Caption: | Interactive map showing the location for Franklin County Courthouse |
| Area: | less than one acre |
| Built: | 1891 |
| Added: | August 13, 1976 |
| Mpsub: | (AD) |
| Refnum: | 76000772 |
The Franklin County Courthouse in Hampton, Iowa, United States was built in 1891. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. In 2003 it was included as a contributing property in the Hampton Double Square Historic District.[1] The courthouse is the third facility to house court functions and county administration.
Initially, Franklin County business was enacted in the home of Judge James B. Reeve. County commissioners selected a place called Jefferson as the county seat in deference to Judge Reeve who was from Jefferson, Ohio. However, a county commissioner opposed the proposal, and with the backing of county residents, Hampton was designated as the county seat. In 1857, commissioners built a single-story frame building to serve as the initial courthouse. Subsequently, they sold it to a church, which converted it into a residence. Eventually, it was repurposed as a stable. County records were kept at a school until a new courthouse built of stone was constructed in the middle of the square. It measured 48feetx70feetft (xft) and cost $12,500.[2] The present Romanesque Revival building, by Minneapolis architect T.D. Allen, was completed in 1891 at a cost of $60,000.[3] The courthouse is a fine example of the Romanesque Revival style popular in the late 19th century. It was built during a transitional period of county government that saw movement from simple utilitarian structures to more elaborate structures that reflected the need for more space and bestowed a sense of dignity to its work.[4]
The courthouse is a two-story brick structure built over a raised basement. It is roughly rectangular in shape, and measures 102feetx76feetft (xft).[4] The high foundation of the building and surround of the large round-arch main entrance is composed of rusticated stone. All of the windows feature stone ornamentation with rusticated stone surrounds on the first-floor windows. The building also features a machicolated cornice and clusters of circular chimneys. It is capped with a hipped roof and a tall domed clock tower. The tower itself has a four-faced clock and a statue of a classical figure at each corner of the bell chamber. A statue of Lady Justice is on top of the dome.