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Iowa County
Henry County, Iowa
Iowa Wesleyan University and the Old Threshers Reunion - from Iowa Wesleyan University (one of Iowa's oldest universities - founded 1842 by Methodist Episcopal settlers - Iowa Wesleyan's historic campus in Mount Pleasant has provided liberal arts education in southeast Iowa for nearly 180 years) to the Midwest Old Threshers Reunion (the annual Labor Day weekend gathering in Mount Pleasant that draws 100,000+ visitors to one of the nation's largest antique power and steam equipment exhibitions - the working steam engines, antique tractors, and heritage crafts demonstrations make it one of the Midwest's most beloved agricultural heritage events).
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Office: Henry County Emergency Management – confirm current contact via henrycounty.iowa.gov.
Sheriff: Henry County Sheriff’s Office – 800 S. Grand Avenue, Mount Pleasant, IA 52641 | (319) 385-2712 | Civil (319) 385-4652 | Jail fax (319) 385-2384; Sheriff Rich McNamee. Patrols 437 square miles and is chief law enforcement for Coppock, Hillsboro, Lowell, Mount Union, Oakland Mills, Olds, Rome, Salem, Swedesburg, Trenton, Westwood, and all unincorporated areas. Provides 24-hour dispatching for law enforcement, fire, first responders, and EMS countywide. Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-4 PM.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-34 and US-218 serve Mount Pleasant, the county seat, in southeastern Iowa.
Notes: Henry County was formed December 7, 1836, under the Wisconsin Territory, becoming part of Iowa Territory when it was created July 4, 1838; it is named for General Henry Dodge, governor of Wisconsin Territory.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Henry County Courthouse – 100 E. Washington Street, Mount Pleasant, IA (present building built 1914, Classical Revival, built by English Brothers; National Register of Historic Places since 1981; the third courthouse in county history).
Notes: Mount Pleasant is home to the Midwest Old Threshers Reunion, one of the largest heritage agricultural festivals in the American Midwest. Founded by a small group of Henry County farmers in 1950 after they returned from a threshing reunion in Illinois inspired to preserve steam-era farm technology, the Association was chartered August 21, 1950, and the first Reunion was held that September. Now held annually over Labor Day weekend at McMillan Park, it draws roughly 38,000 visitors – several times Mount Pleasant’s own population of about 8,500-10,000 – to see steam engines, antique tractors, restored electric trolleys, and narrow-gauge railroad equipment, including a standard-gauge trolley line and the Midwest Central Railroad’s narrow-gauge line. Separately, Salem, a small Henry County community about 10 miles south of Mount Pleasant, holds genuine documented Underground Railroad history: the Lewelling Quaker House, now the Lewelling Quaker Museum, was one of as many as five homes in the Salem area used to shelter freedom seekers escaping slavery before the Civil War.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Henry County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via henrycounty.iowa.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Mount Pleasant Public Library (Mount Pleasant) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: McMillan Park and the Midwest Old Threshers Heritage Museums (including the Museum of Repertoire Americana and Richard E. Oetken Heritage Museums), and the Lewelling Quaker Museum in Salem are the county’s premier heritage attractions. Iowa Wesleyan University’s campus sits adjacent to downtown Mount Pleasant.
Notes: The genuine, 75-plus-year continuity of the Midwest Old Threshers Reunion, alongside the documented Underground Railroad history in Salem, are among the standout heritage stories covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Henry County Assessor’s Office – confirm current contact via henrycounty.iowa.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
All God’s Creatures (AGC) – 2205 E. Washington Street, Mount Pleasant, IA 52641 | (319) 280-7035 | Email: [email protected]. Community nonprofit shelter serving Henry County; open-concept cat adoption space, Tue-Sat 1-4 PM; also runs a pet food pantry, rehoming/training support, and TNR program.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Henry County Environmental Health – confirm current contact via henrycounty.iowa.gov.
NOTES: Henry County is the forty-fifth county in Iowa’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, 75-plus-year continuity of the Midwest Old Threshers Reunion, alongside the documented Underground Railroad history in Salem, are among the standout heritage stories covered anywhere in this project. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Henry County
Henry County is southeast Iowa’s Old Threshers and Iowa Wesleyan county – the Midwest Old Threshers Reunion draws 100,000+ visitors each Labor Day weekend to one of America’s finest agricultural heritage celebrations.
Mount Pleasant (the county seat, population ~8,500) hosts the Old Threshers Reunion grounds – the permanent exhibition park with its working steam equipment, narrow gauge railroad, and heritage village is one of the Midwest’s finest agricultural museums.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Henry County Assessor at 100 E. Washington Street, Suite 107, Mount Pleasant, IA 52641, phone 319-385-0750. IA assessed at 100% market value with residential rollback.
Courts & Legal
Henry County District Court at 100 E. Washington Street, Mount Pleasant, IA 52641, phone 319-385-2632, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF DISTRICT COURT (Court Records, Marriage Licenses)
100 E. Washington St., Mount Pleasant, IA 52641
(319) 385-2632
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Henry County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The Midwest Old Threshers Reunion, held annually in Mount Pleasant, and the history of Iowa Wesleyan University are significant local cultural and historical topics.
Local societies
No dedicated Henry County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Henry County District Court, 8th Judicial District 100 East Washington Street, Suite 300, Mount Pleasant, IA 52641 (319) 385-2632
Henry County is in southeastern Iowa; its seat, Mount Pleasant, is home to Iowa Wesleyan University (closed 2023, a historically significant institution) and the annual Midwest Old Threshers Reunion.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Iowa has its own comprehensive probate code (Iowa Code Chapter 633) and has not formally adopted the Uniform Probate Code. Iowa offers several tracks depending on estate size and complexity:
Distribution by Affidavit (“very small estates”) – for estates where the gross value of personal property is $50,000 or less and there is no real estate, available 40 days after death under Iowa Code § 633.356. A sworn affidavit is presented directly to banks and other institutions. No court filing is required.
Small Estate Administration – a simplified probate process under Iowa Code Chapter 635 for estates with a gross value of $200,000 or less, with reduced notice requirements and court costs compared to full administration.
Regular (Full) Probate – standard administration through the district court for larger or more complex estates, which can be independent (unsupervised) or supervised.
Supervised Administration – closer court oversight, typically used for contested estates.
Step 2: filing for formal probate
File a Petition for Probate of Will and Appointment of Executor (if there’s a will) or a Petition for Administration (if intestate) with the Henry County District Court.
The court admits the will (if any) and issues Letters Testamentary (with a will) or Letters of Administration (intestate) appointing the personal representative.
Publish notice to creditors; under independent administration, creditors generally have 4 months from the date of first publication to file claims.
The personal representative inventories assets, pays valid debts and expenses, and – under independent administration – largely acts without ongoing court check-ins.
After the creditor period closes and debts are paid, the personal representative distributes assets to heirs or beneficiaries.
File a final accounting/final report; the court closes the estate upon approval.
What it costs
Personal representative fees are capped by statute at 3% of the gross value of the probate estate (excluding life insurance) unless services are itemized; attorney fees follow a similar framework.
Recording fees at the county recorder run about $7 for the first page of a document and $5 for each additional page.
Typical timelines: Distribution by Affidavit – a minimum 40-day wait; independent (unsupervised) probate typically closes in 6-12 months, with the 4-month creditor period as the primary timing constraint.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
100 E. Washington St., Mount Pleasant, IA 52641
(319) 385-2712
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY AUDITOR (Records, Elections, Finance)
100 E. Washington St., Mount Pleasant, IA 52641
(319) 385-0756
ELECTIONS (County Auditor)
100 E. Washington St., Mount Pleasant, IA 52641
(319) 385-0756
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Henry County Health Dept
(319) 385-0779
Iowa DHHS — Region 7
(800) 338-8366
Iowa Medicaid
(800) 338-8366
Henry County Health Center
hchc.org (Mount Pleasant — quality community hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Henry County Public Health – confirm current contact via henrycounty.iowa.gov.
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