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Iowa County
Jones County, Iowa
Anamosa - the birthplace of Grant Wood - from Grant Wood's Anamosa birthplace (the painter of American Gothic - one of the most recognized paintings in American art history - was born in Anamosa in 1891 and grew up amid the rolling hills and limestone farmsteads of Jones County that defined the imagery of his most celebrated works - the Grant Wood Art Colony and the Anamosa State Penitentiary Gallery celebrate the artist's connection to his hometown) to the Wapsipinicon State Park's limestone river canyon and the Stone City Art Colony (the summer art colony Grant Wood established at Stone City in Jones County in the 1930s brought artists from across the Midwest to paint the Iowa countryside).
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Office: Jones County Emergency Management – 500 W. Main Street #13, Anamosa, IA 52205 | (319) 462-4386 or (319) 480-0617 | Fax (319) 462-4766; Coordinator Brenda Leonard. Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-4:30 PM.
Sheriff: Jones County Sheriff’s Office – 500 W. Main Street, Anamosa, IA 52205 | (319) 462-5300; Sheriff Greg Graver.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. Jones County Alerts provides free text/voice/email emergency notifications to residents who register.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-151 and IA-64 (part of the Grant Wood Scenic Byway) serve Anamosa, the county seat and largest city.
Notes: Jones County was founded December 21, 1837, named for U.S. Senator George Wallace Jones. Anamosa began as the settlement of Buffalo Forks in 1838, was incorporated as Lexington in 1856, and was renamed Anamosa in 1877 to avoid mail-delivery confusion with other towns named Lexington; local tradition holds the new name honored a young Native American girl who had passed through town with her family in 1842.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Jones County Courthouse – 500 W. Main Street, Anamosa, IA.
Notes: Anamosa is the birthplace of Grant Wood (1891-1942), the American Regionalist painter best known for “American Gothic” (1930), one of the most recognized and frequently parodied paintings in American art history. Wood was born on a farm four miles east of Anamosa and moved to Cedar Rapids at age 10 after his father’s death; he later taught painting at the University of Iowa and served as Iowa’s WPA state art director. The free Grant Wood Art Gallery in downtown Anamosa (124 E. Main Street) serves as the hometown headquarters for his memorabilia, and Wood, his sister Nan (the model for the daughter in “American Gothic”), and their mother are buried in Anamosa’s Riverside Cemetery. Nearby Stone City, also in Jones County, hosted Wood’s Stone City Art Colony during the summers of 1932-1933 and inspired his landscape painting “Stone City, Iowa.” Anamosa is also home to the Anamosa State Penitentiary, a historic state correctional facility.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Jones County Veterans Affairs – Courthouse, Anamosa, IA 52205.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Anamosa Public Library (Anamosa) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Grant Wood Art Gallery, the Grant Wood Scenic Byway (IA-64), Wapsipinicon State Park, and historic Stone City are the county’s premier heritage and recreational attractions.
Notes: The genuine, deep connection between Grant Wood and his native Jones County – his birthplace, burial site, and artistic inspiration all located here – is among the standout cultural facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Jones County Assessor’s Office – Courthouse, Anamosa, IA 52205.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Anamosa Animal Control – 118 S. Elm Street, Anamosa, IA. Animal Welfare Friends Shelter & Dog Park – 22407 Business Hwy 151, Monticello, IA 52310 | (319) 975-8283. Animal Welfare Foundation of Iowa – 2512 Davenport Avenue, Oxford Junction, IA.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Jones County Landfill – confirm current contact via jonescountyiowa.gov.
NOTES: Jones County is the fifty-fourth county in Iowa’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, deep connection between Grant Wood and his native Jones County is among the standout cultural facts 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 Jones County
Jones County is the birthplace of Grant Wood – the painter of American Gothic was born in Anamosa, and the rolling limestone hills and farmsteads of Jones County directly inspired the Iowa imagery that defines his most celebrated works.
Anamosa (the county seat, population ~5,500) celebrates its most famous son – the Grant Wood Art Festival and the local art colony tradition honor the artist whose American Gothic pitchfork couple became one of the most parodied images in American cultural history.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Jones County Assessor at 500 W. Main Street, Suite 3, Anamosa, IA 52205, phone 319-462-2671. IA assessed at 100% market value with residential rollback.
Courts & Legal
Jones County District Court at 500 W. Main Street, Anamosa, IA 52205, phone 319-462-4341, 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)
500 W. Main St., Anamosa, IA 52205
(319) 462-4341
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Jones County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Jones 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
Jones County District Court, 6th Judicial District 500 West Main Street, Anamosa, IA 52205 (319) 462-4341
Jones County was formed December 21, 1837, named for Senator George Wallace Jones. Its seat, Anamosa, is home to the Anamosa State Penitentiary. The 1937 Jones County Courthouse (PWA Moderne, National Register of Historic Places) features multi-colored terrazzo floors and Art Deco detailing.
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 Jones 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
500 W. Main St., Anamosa, IA 52205
(319) 462-3536
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY AUDITOR (Records, Elections, Finance)
500 W. Main St., Anamosa, IA 52205
(319) 462-3536
ELECTIONS (County Auditor)
500 W. Main St., Anamosa, IA 52205
(319) 462-3536
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Jones County Health Dept
(319) 462-3808
Iowa DHHS — Region 6
(800) 338-8366
Iowa Medicaid
(800) 338-8366
Jones Regional Medical Center
jonesregional.org (Anamosa — quality community hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Jones County Public Health – Courthouse, Anamosa, IA 52205.
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