Welcome to Henry County

One of the oldest counties in Iowa, Henry County has been drawing pioneers’ attention since before its boundaries were defined in 1836 by the legislature of what was then the Wisconsin Territory.

The communities of Lowell, New London, Mt. Pleasant, and Salem had all been established by then; Rome and Trenton would follow within the year.

Henry County draws its name from General Henry Dodge, the governor of the Wisconsin Territory and veteran of the 1832 Black Hawk War.

In 1839, Henry County became host to the first courthouse in Iowa, located on what is now Central Park in Mt. Pleasant. Three years later, Iowa Wesleyan University opened its doors; the school is now the oldest coeducational higher learning institution in the state. Another first for Mt. Pleasant, it was the host for the first Iowa’s women’s rights convention in 1870.

As of the 2010 census, Henry County is home to 20,482 people, 7,743 households, and 5,395 families. The population density was 46.4 people per square mile. The county’s median household income was $53,501.

Contact Michelle Hillestad at michelle.hillestad@southeastiowaunion.com