Bremer County Courthouse
From 1854 to 1857, the Bremer
County courthouse was a little frame building. To replace it, a second
courthouse was built of brick for $23,000. The splendid structure was 43 feet
by 63 feet and was the pride of Waverly and the entire county. The courthouse
was the scene of social, religious, and political gatherings until 1869, when
the board of supervisors ordered the sheriff to exclude all parties from the
building except political and county societies. In 1870 an additional fireproof
building was constructed next to the existing one in order to protect the
county records.
The present Bremer County
courthouse is three stories tall at the center and two stories on either side,
with another level beneath the ground floor. It was built with pressed brick
and accented with stone trim. The total cost in 1937 was $139,000.