Plymouth County Courthouse

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.

From the record

“The Plymouth County Courthouse located in Le Mars, Iowa, United States, was built in 1891. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource.”
Wikipedia article Plymouth County Courthouse (Iowa), CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 11 National Register listings published here for Plymouth County · listed in 1981 · category: Building.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
Address. E. 3rd Ave., Le Mars, 51031
When was it listed? July 1981
Category. building
Also known as. County Courthouses in Iowa TR
Township. America township
National Register reference number. 81000263 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

Fires near this property

1 since 2006

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 1 fire within 5 miles of Plymouth County Courthouse in 2006, burning about 5 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause	Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
11 February 2006	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	5.0 acres	Iowa Department of Natural Resources	not named

Every fire recorded in Plymouth County

Mines and quarries near this property

10 of 20 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 20 workings within 5 miles of Plymouth County Courthouse: 16 past producers, 4 producers. 4 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Limestone, General. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Site	Commodity	Status
Unknown	Limestone, General	Past Producer
Bedel Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Hogan Const Co	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Hoss	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Howes Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
L and M Sand and Gravel Site No 1	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Leeds Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Maudlin Const Co	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Maudlin Const Co	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Midwest Paving	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer

Every working recorded in Plymouth County

Storms near this property

60 of 95 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Le Mars, the town this property stands in, in 95 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 43 hail, 37 thunderstorm wind, 7 flash flood, 4 flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
June 1994	Thunderstorm Wind	Le Mars	$500,000	no account filed
June 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Le Mars	$100,000	Thunderstorm winds caused widespread tree damage, including several trees and numerous large limbs and branches blown down. Tree debris damaged the roofs of at least three homes. The siding of a manufacturing business building was ripped off by the wind. Power lines were downed by wind and falling tree debris, resulting in power outages.
September 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Le Mars	$100,000	According to a report from the county extension officer, small hail, accompanied by gusty winds, caused damage to corn and soybean crops.
June 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Le Mars	$50,000	Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including large trees blown down. One tree severely damaged a house when it was blown down onto a roof.
July 1994	Thunderstorm Wind	Le Mars	$50,000	no account filed
July 1994	Thunderstorm Wind	Le Mars	$50,000	no account filed
June 1994	Thunderstorm Wind	Le Mars	$50,000	no account filed
June 1994	Thunderstorm Wind	Le Mars	$50,000	no account filed
June 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Le Mars	$30,000	Thunderstorm winds tore part of the roof and walls from a metal machine shed. Debris damaged a nearby garage. There was also tree and power line damage, and a resulting power outage.
June 1997	Thunderstorm Wind	Le Mars	$10,000	no account filed
June 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	West Le Mars	$5,000	Thunderstorm winds blew down power poles and caused tree damage.
July 2008	Lightning	Le Mars	$5,000	Lightning struck and destroyed a large tree and an electrical panel on the side of a house, blowing several breakers and fuse boxes, melting a telephone wire, and damaging other parts of the house's electrical system. The strike also shattered a bedroom window, causing minor cuts from flying glass to two occupants.
June 1994	Hail	Le Mars	$5,000	no account filed
June 1994	Hail	Le Mars	$5,000	no account filed
April 2011	Hail	Le Mars	$2,000	Large hail damaged siding and shutters on a house.
April 2025	Hail	Le Mars	-	Nickel to quarter size hail fell for around 6 minutes, with a few stones slightly larger than quarters.
June 2025	Hail	Le Mars	-	During the mainly pea to less than dime size hail, there were infrequent larger stones from quarter to half-dollar size.
June 2025	Hail	Le Mars	-	Significant damage occurred to campers at the Willow Creek Campground from wind-driven hail. Hail lasted for around 10 minutes.
June 2025	Hail	Le Mars	-	Hail up to quarter size was observed at the golf course.
June 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Le Mars	-	Thunderstorm wind gusts produced tree damage throughout Le Mars and caused damage to property at a local campground. Power outages were reported across portions of the city.
April 2024	Tornado (EFU)	West Le Mars	-	Members of the public witnessed a very brief touchdown in an open field. The storm produced no visible damage as to determine a rating. The touchdown location is an estimate based on public videos and radar.
July 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Le Mars	-	Thunderstorm wind gusts resulted in considerable tree damage across Le Mars with power out across the northwest side of the city.
June 2024	Flood	West Le Mars	-	The Floyd River near Merrill rose above flood stage the evening of June 22nd, cresting around 8.27 feet above flood stage (20.27 feet) on June 23rd. This crest is in the Major Stage and broke the previous record. The river then fell below flood stage on the morning of June 24th. For a more comprehensive description of flood damage, please see other entries for Plymouth County.
August 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Le Mars	-	A personal weather station reported a sustained period of thunderstorm wind gusts, starting with a 59 mph gust at 0016CST, and up to 64 mph at 0032CST. Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture.
March 2019	Flood	West Le Mars	-	Snow melt and heavy rainfall (measured 1.52 inches near Le Mars and 1.63 inches at Remsen) resulted in significant flooding of agricultural lands. State Highway 60 was closed for several days between Merrill and Hinton due to water over the roadway. The Floyd River at Merrill (gage site MRLI4) reached the fourth highest stage on record cresting 5.60 feet above flood stage on March 15.
June 2018	Flood	West Le Mars	-	A week of periodic heavy rainfall ending June 26 resulted in a widespread 4 to 8 inches of rainfall, much of which occurred on June 20 and 24. Weekly rainfall totaled 9.11 inches near Sioux Center, 7.36 inches at Sheldon, 7.31 inches at Sibley, 6.13 inches at Sanborn, 5.50 inches at Orange City, 4.69 inches at Le Mars and 4.54 inches at Remsen. Major flooding occurred with significant amounts of crop and pasture land inundated. Water encroached on the homes on the east side of Merrill, and covered county highway C44 as the Floyd River at Merrill (gage site MRLI4) crested 4.1 feet above flood stage on June 27. The river dropped below flood stage on June 28.
September 2018	Flood	West Le Mars	-	Widespread rainfall upstream in the Floyd River basin from September 18-20 totaled generally 5 to 10 inches, with 2 to 5 inches across Plymouth County, resulting in major flooding. County road C44 was inundated with water, which also impacted a few properties on the east edge of Merrill. The Floyd River at Merrill (gage site MRLI4) crested at 5.0 feet above flood stage on September 21.
June 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Le Mars	-	Quite a few trees downed in town. Report received via social media.
August 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Le Mars	-	Tree damage was reported on the northwest side of the town.
June 2016	Thunderstorm Wind	Le Mars	-	Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage.
July 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Le Mars	-	Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including up to 12 inch diameter branches blown down.
June 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Le Mars	-	Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including limbs up to 6 inches in diameter blown down. The winds were accompanied by small hail.
May 2013	Flash Flood	Le Mars	-	Heavy rain caused flash flooding of roads and low areas. A retirement center was surrounded by water.
May 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Le Mars	-	Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including several branches blown down.
April 2011	Hail	Le Mars	-	Large hail caused an unknown amount of damage to vehicles.
July 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Le Mars	-	Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including numerous branches and a few trees blown down.
August 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Le Mars	-	Estimated 60 mph thunderstorm winds flattened corn crops. the amount of crop damage was not known.
August 2007	Flash Flood	Le Mars	-	Rainfall of more than 4 inches in the town of Le Mars caused flooding of several streets and yards in town.
June 2006	Flash Flood	Le Mars	-	Heavy rain caused flash flooding of streets and other low areas. High water on roads in Le Mars stranded several vehicles.
August 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Le Mars	-	Thunderstorm winds heavily damaged a hog confinement barn, setting loose almost 2,000 hogs which had to be rounded up by barn owners and law enforcement.
June 2005	Flash Flood	Le Mars	-	Heavy rain caused flooding of numerous streets and nearby fields.
May 2005	Flash Flood	Le Mars	-	Heavy rain flooded streets, parking lots, at least one small stream, and other low areas.
April 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Le Mars	-	Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including a two foot diameter limb blown down. The amount of damage was not known.
August 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Le Mars	-	Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including a 12 inch diameter tree blown over.
August 2002	Flash Flood	Le Mars	-	Heavy rainfall caused flooding of numerous streets.
July 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Le Mars	-	Thunderstorm winds destroyed an outdoor play set and caused tree damage.
July 1997	Tornado (F0)	Le Mars	-	A tornado in a rural area resulted in no reported damage.
July 1997	Tornado (F0)	Le Mars	-	A brief tornado reported by emergency management officials moved a car off of a road otherwise no damage was reported.
April 2025	Hail	Le Mars	-	no account filed
October 2021	Hail	Le Mars	-	no account filed
June 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	West Le Mars	-	no account filed
June 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Le Mars	-	no account filed
June 2014	Hail	Le Mars	-	no account filed
July 2013	Hail	Le Mars	-	no account filed
July 2013	Hail	Le Mars	-	no account filed
June 2010	Hail	Le Mars	-	no account filed
August 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	Le Mars	-	no account filed
June 2008	Hail	Le Mars	-	no account filed
August 2007	Hail	Le Mars	-	no account filed
August 2007	Hail	Le Mars	-	no account filed

Every storm recorded in Plymouth County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Property	Distance	Listed
St. George's Episcopal Church	0.2 miles	1976
Le Mars Public Library	0.2 miles	1979
Sacred Heart Hospital	0.3 miles	2010
Le Mars Central High School	0.4 miles	1999
Le Mars Downtown Commercial Historic District	0.4 miles	2012
Le Mars Municipal Park and Golf Course Historic District	1.0 miles	2001

Sources for this property

National Archives record	The nomination case file for reference 81000263 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia article	Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Plymouth County	All 11 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.