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.
The Amana Colonies village of South Amana is well-known for its abundance of brick buildings and summer flower gardens. The post office, which has been in operation since 1874, occupies one of the many historic buildings in the community.
The unincorporated village of Homestead was not part of the original Amana Colonies settlement. It was added in 1861, six years after the original six communities were formed, to give the Colonies access to the railroad. Visitors to Homestead will find several original brick Amana dwellings. Though they are now privately owned by individual families, at time of construction, these homes served as the residence for three or four families at a time.
The Post Office in Homestead was in place before the community was incorporated into the Amana Colonies. The post office was originally established in 1852, more than 30 years before service was present in any other Amana village. It appears have remained in the same location since at least 1919, though its modern day appearance varies from the postcard: a ramp has been added added, chimneys removed, and supports now prop up the west wall of the building.
This small post office located along Iowa State Highway 220 serves residents in the unincorporated village of Middle Amana. Residents were up in arms in September 1995 when word spread that the Postal Service was considering closing the Middle Amana location. According to an article in the Cedar Rapids Gazette, resident Arnold Moessner circulated a petition to protest the proposed closing; he was quoted: “That’s kind of our morning exercise. We walk to the post office instead of the coffee shop.”
By November 1995, Postal Service officials indicated the post office would be spared. Furnace concerns, which were one consideration in the proposal to close the office, had been resolved, and a nearby postmaster had transferred in to operate the facility. The post office remains open today, with 157 boxes to serve the village of Middle Amana.
Consisting of seven unincorporated villages and encompassing over 20,000 acres, the Amana Colonies are one of eastern Iowa’s most popular tourist attractions. More than 1.5 million visitors each year make the trip to the Amana Colonies to check out the restaurants and shops in the historic villages. Established by German immigrants, the establishment dates to 1855, and the Amana Colonies maintained a nearly self-sufficient economy for nearly eighty years.
Six of the seven Amana Colleges had their own post office locations, though only four remain today. The High Amana office was shuttered in 1968, while the West Amana location survived through 1994. The largest of the locations is the pictured post office in Amana. Amana is the largest of the villages, and includes a woolen mill, furniture shop, museum, and more.