Special to the Press-Citizen

July and August are county fair months in Iowa, with the majority of the counties under consideration (Harrison, Shelby, Audubon, Guthrie, Dallas, Polk, Jasper, Poweshiek, Iowa, Johnson, Cedar) organizing their fairs just prior to the Iowa State Fair, which is held annually in mid-August in the state’s capital, Des Moines (Polk).

Serving both as the county seat and the state capital, Des Moines is the home of the exquisite Beaux-Arts Polk County Courthouse (1906) and the imposing Renaissance Revival-style Iowa State Capitol (1871-1886). The Governor’s official residence, the Second Empire-style Terrace Hill (1866–1869), formerly the Hubbell Mansion or Benjamin F. Allen House, is also in Des Moines.

The original capital of Iowa was, of course, Iowa City in Jo

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