Deloit was the first community in Crawford County in western Iowa to receive postal service, when it was established at the location in 1855. The community was originally referred to as Mason’s Grove, before undergoing a series of name changes, to Boyer Valley, then Bloomington, and then Beloit, after the city in the neighboring state of Wisconsin. To avoid any potential confusion, the “B” was replaced with a “D,” and the name “Deloit” was officially adopted in January 1872.
Published December 31, 2010 |
Post Offices |
Crawford County
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Located on the north side of the square in downtown Glenwood, Iowa, the Rex Theatre has been showing movies since 1909. Originally built as a live performance house, the building was constructed by the local Independent Order of Odd Fellows in 1891. Many aspects of the historic building have been preserved, including some of the original hardwood floors and tin and plaster drop ceilings along with the ornate stained glass window on the second floor.
The theatre has been under the same ownership since 2001, when local resident William McGinnis purchased the business after seeing a for-sale ad in the Glenwood newspaper. Movies are shown each Friday and Saturday night, with an occasional Sunday matinée. The theatre caters to families, with no R-rated movies shown and a reasonable $5.00 admission cost. Note the theatre is closed during the winter months to save on maintenance costs; when movies resume, call (712) 527-4433 for showtimes.
Published December 30, 2010 |
Movie Theatres |
Mills County
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A public library was first established in the small Wapello County, Iowa, community of Eldon in 1906, when a private group raised sufficient funds to rent a second-story room above a downtown local business. Within two years, a formal library association had been incorporated under state laws and recurring financial support of the library was transferred to the city. By 1911, efforts began to secure a Carnegie library grant for construction of a permanent library building.
A $7,500 grant was awarded and construction began in 1912. The new library opened and was dedicated in May 1913, and the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. The Eldon Public Library is open six days weekly.
Published December 29, 2010 |
Carnegie Libraries, Public Libraries |
Wapello County
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More than 16,000 Iowa farms went under during the well-documented midwestern farming crisis of the 1980s. The farming crisis had wide-ranging effects on rural communities in the state, as local businesses and schools were closing at alarming rates. In 1986, the Boston Globe sent a features writer to the small Taylor County town of Gravity to take an in-depth look at the effects of the farming crisis on a ‘typical’ rural Iowa community.
The population of Gravity had halved between the 1940s and 1980s, and in the article, local residents lamented at the resulting losses: since the town’s heyday, the barber shop, opera house, and hardware stores were gone. The newspaper was no more, and the local bank branch operated only six hours a week. The biggest loss for the community may have been the local school, which closed in 1982.
The three-story brick building was built as a high school in 1929. Classes were reduced when Gravity became part of the Bedford Community School District in the early 1960s, and the school was closed entirely following the 1981-1982 school year. Unlike many former school buildings across the state, the Gravity school has been well-maintained since its closure. Despite the loss of the school, Gravity is home to a post office, community center, American Legion hall, and a new bar and grill restaurant.
Published December 28, 2010 |
Schools |
Taylor County
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The tiny town of Delphos in Ringgold County, Iowa, was founded in 1880 as a rail station on the Leon, Mount Ayr and Southwestern line. Originally settled as Borneo, the town’s permanent name was derived from the greek word adelphos, meaning brother. Population peaked at 128 in the 1899 census, more than 20 years before the town was officially incorporated.
Railroad service operated in Delphos for 65 years, with the last train passing through in 1945. Following the loss of rail service, the consolidated school closed in 1961, and the post office served its final customer in November 1993. More recently, the former Christian Church was converted to a private residence, while the remaining Baptist Church building hasn’t held regular services for years.
Published December 27, 2010 |
Town Signs |
Ringgold County
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