Courthouse Square Historic District - Centerville, Iowa - Wikipedia Entries on Waymarking.com

County of district: Appanoose County
Location of district: All bldgs facing Courthouse Square plus those ½ block north & one block east, south & west of the square
Added to NRHP: 1997

"The Courthouse Square Historic District is a commercial district centered around the Appanoose County Courthouse. It contains 118 resources, 85 of which are considered to be contributing to the district.

"When County Surveyor J.F. Stratton laid out and platted the town of Chaidea (soon to become Centerville) in 1846, he arranged the streets in a north/south and east/west grid pattern, with the public square located not in the center, but near the southwest corner of the new community. The square was unusual not only in location, but also in size, measuring two blocks on each side creating a public area four blocks square. Each block was 200' long with the major north/south and east/west streets (Main and State) entering the Square in the middle rather than at the corners, thus making it difficult to drive directly through the area. Main and State streets are platted as 70' wide, while those entering on the corners (12th, 13th, Van Buren, and Jackson) measure only 33'.

"Today the Appanoose County Courthouse rests in the center of the Public Square surrounded by two and three story brick buildings. The streets around the courthouse are 90* wide, allowing not only for the diagonal parking commonly found around Public Squares, but also a double row of angle parking down the center of each street as well. The blocks facing the Square are a half block deep, with the lots measuring 40' x 100'. A 20' alley separates these commercial lots from the normal 200' square blocks behind them.

"One quarter of the lots around the Square (ten) were offered for sale in February 1847, with another ten available in April of that year. The lot bringing the highest price was that on the southeast eyetooth corner (Lot 3, Blk 1, Rge 2) which was purchased by George W. Perkins for $207. Other lots sold for between $10 and $50 It appears that the first business to be located on the Public Square was the store of Spencer Wadlington. He had opened his business northeast of town in 1846, but moved the log cabin to the west side of the Square (the southwest corner of 12th and State) the following year. Shortly thereafter a log courthouse was constructed at the southeast corner of the Square (corner of 13th and Jackson). Centervilie's growth was slow for several years with just a handful of merchants, a blacksmith, and a hotel. To celebrate the 4th of July, 1851, a procession, lead by a fife and drum corps, marched from the Public Square to a grove at the edge of town and feasted on "juicy steaks of a beef that had been barbequed." By 1854 the population had grown to 283 inhabitants, and the following year the Appanoose Chieftain was established, a sure sign of a thriving community." ~ NRHP Nomination Form