Concerns began in early 2004 when a mold contamination was discovered in the McCausland Post Office. Services were quickly relocated to a temporary facility, but in April 2006, the U.S. Postal Service notified residents they were planning to let the temporary lease expire and add McCausland residents to a rural route based in nearby Long Grove. Over half of the town showed up for a town hall meeting, and community members were given additional time to secure and prepare a permanent facility.
A replacement building was purchased, and over the next two years, over $25,000 was raised from local residents via fundraising efforts including bake sales, hog roasts, and soup suppers. Just days before a closure date was set, the American Postal Workers Union stepped in with a $30,000 gift to fund remaining renovation work. On September 11, 2009, the new, permanent McCausland Post Office officially opened its doors. Check out the McCausland website to view photos from the community’s fight to save their Post Office.
Update: Less than two years later, the Post Office in McCausland is again being considered for closure.
The pictured church building was originally constructed in 1875 for the First Congregational Church in the Fayette County community of Waucoma. In 1928, the local Methodist Church merged with the Congregational Church to form the Waucoma Federated Church. Services were continued in this building until 1989, when the congregation disbanded. By the end of 1990, the Waucoma Historical Society was deeded possession of the building. Initial improvements were made to add restrooms, a kitchen, and a dining area, with many fundraising dinners held to raise funds for maintenance of the historic facility.
Further improvements were made in 2008 and 2009, when the interior was repainted, stained glass was restored, and a handicapped accessible entrance was added. The church is available for local groups to hold non-denominational church services and celebrations.
In March 1944, resident Lenora Heft suggested the idea of starting a “Book Exchange” in the Floyd County town of Marble Rock. A committee was formed, and a the first incarnation of a Marble Rock Public Library was operated from a private residence. In 1946, the committee received permission from the town council to locate the library in the Marble Rock City Hall. The council provided bookshelves for the new library facility, which was operated entirely by volunteers.
As the collection grew, more space was needed and the library relocated to a new standalone building in 1956. It relocated again to a former grocery store building on Main Street in 1966, and in 2005, the Marble Rock Public Library debuted in its current facility.
On February 22, 1877, a community meeting was held at the home of William Trammel to discuss the construction of a church on the site of Trammel Cemetery, which was established twenty years earlier. Trammel agreed to donate a plot of land to the east of the cemetery and by June 1877, plans were completed for construction of a $1,600 chapel building. The church was dedicated in December 1877 as the Lynn Grove Chapel, but was renamed Union Chapel the following year. Regular worship services were held until 1898; annual Memorial Day services continued through 1971.
Cherokee was chosen as the town seat of Cherokee County in northwest Iowa in 1861. By 1864, the county’s first courthouse was erected in Cherokee, a square, frame building constructed from local black walnut logs. As the building aged and more space was needed, the initial proposal to construct a new courthouse failed on the ballot in 1881. The vote was favorable 10 years later and the second courthouse, constructed with brick, limestone, granite, and slate, was completed in 1892. This Romanesque-style building was torn down in early 1965 to allow construction of a modern, split-level courthouse for Cherokee County. Construction on the $500,000 facility was complete in October 1966.
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