This is one of several towns in Iowa that was specifically established to be a county seat. The site was selected because of its central location within the county. A courthouse was built, and the platting of the town site took place in 1865. The community grew slowly over the years, finally assuming the urban form one associates with smaller midwestern communities. There is a small business and civic center, then tree-lined residential streets, and finally an “industrial” area of grain elevators and other businesses associated with the railway.
Writing Credits
If SAH Archipedia has been useful to you, please consider supporting it.
SAH Archipedia tells the story of the United States through its buildings, landscapes, and cities. This freely available resource empowers the public with authoritative knowledge that deepens their understanding and appreciation of the built environment. But the Society of Architectural Historians, which created SAH Archipedia with University of Virginia Press, needs your support to maintain the high-caliber research, writing, photography, cartography, editing, design, and programming that make SAH Archipedia a trusted online resource available to all who value the history of place, heritage tourism, and learning.