Kossuth County,

Kossuth County, Iowa

The County was founded on January 15, 1851, honoring Hungary's increasingly popular hero, Kossuth. Iowa governor Hampstead had invited Kossuth to visit the State in early 1852.Conveying his regrets, Kossuth instead suggested that associations be formed to provide Hungary with "material aid" Several communities within the County have named streets after Kossuth as well. The County's population and leadership had not lost track of its history. Culmination was the 150th anniversary of its founding in 2001 with its observances.
On May 2 1961 Mrs. Bela Bachkai of the Hungarian American Federation of Washington DC presented the County with a stylized Hungarian coat of arms, since displayed in the third floor hallway of the County Courthouse in Algona.

It was termed "a present to the young people of America from the young people of Hungary. " Originally sent to the University of Pittsburgh around 1936 for the Hungarian room, located in the "Cathedral of Learning" among its "rooms of nations". The coat of arms was too large for the "Hungarian room", so it was decided to present it to Iowa's Kossuth County.

Kossuth County celebrated a century and a half of its founding in 2001. Part of the commemorations is authorization for and financing of a full-scale Kossuth statue placed in front of the County Courthouse in Algona.

Dedication of the statue and patio, was set for July 13 2001, the venue: in front of the County courthouse. A government-citizen participation was agreed upon in the planning and financing of the program, which received a "kickoff" boost from a resolution resulting in a$10000 board appropriation.

[Statue/patio]
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Veiled statue on engraved patio
[Vilsack/Jeszenszky]
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Jeszenszky (l) & Vilsack (r)

In September 2000, a government-citizen committee undertook the planning of the project implementing a full-figure bronze statue of the County's name-giver, Lajos Kossuth. Partly to encourage sponsorship and also to contribute to the dignified setting for the statue, a plan was agreed upon to have donors' names or suggested words engraved in pavers forming a patio supporting the statue and its granite base. County resident sculptor Wayne Thompson presented his work at the unveiling. The covering shroud consisted of the red-white-green Hungarian tricolor.



[Minnesota Hungarians]


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Minnesota Hungarians
[cornbelt chorus]†
Cornbelt chorus













The dedication had received participation by County, local , State representatives as well as the general public. Noted were the committee membership, Governor Tom Vilsack and Hungary's USA ambassador Géza Jeszenszky. The governor mentioned his childhood recollection of the 1956 Hungarian revolt against totalitarianism and the parallel traditions of the Kossuth and American ideals of freedom and democracy. "I was always impressed with the courage of those people to fight for freedom...naming this County after Louis Kossuth says something about him, but it also says something about us."

[shroud]
unveiling

The statue was presented by the sculptor and accepted by the County Board of Supervisors. The Iowa Arts Council, the State Auditor were part of the program. Official welcome by Dan Peterson. Contributing to the festivities were the Cornbelt Chorus, Minnesota Hungarian society singers, the 34th Nat'l Guard Army Band and Air Guard Flyover. Invocation by members of the clergy. For inscriptrion on black granite statue base click here.

For current information on Kossuth County, links to statue development, committee membership and other County information click here

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