This modest city hall serves the 243 residents in the Louisa County town of Fredonia, which is located east of the Iowa River just a mile away from the larger community of Columbus Junction. Fredonia was plotted in 1836 and quickly became a bustling trading and shipping center. The first hotel was constructed in 1847, while a grist and saw mill was erected in 1855. The town continued to grow into the 1880s, when the population began to decrease. The post office was shuttered in 1920, with mail routed through nearby Columbus Junction.
The first public library in the Louisa County seat of Wapello opened to the public in November 1925, with a donated collection of books. Food sales, talent shows, and other events raised money for the library to purchase new books, and in 1929, the library moved to a new facility with more space; that year, the library also officially received blessings from the city council and became tax supported.
In 1960, Louis and Lillian Keck offered to build the present library in memory of his parents, John and Anna Keck. Construction was completed the following year, with a dedication ceremony held May 13, 1961. A new reading room was added in 1989. The library is open six days weekly.
The Muscatine Journalreports that the pictured Graffiti Barn was destroyed in an early morning fire; arson is suspected. Located two miles west of Grandview on Highway 92, the Graffiti Barn had become an area landmark. The barn was covered with many layers of graffiti, primarily painted by students from the Louisa-Muscatine and Columbus Junction school districts.
The City Hall is located between the Post Office and Public Library in the Louisa County town of Letts. Founded in 1855, Louisa was originally known as Ononwa. Confusion grew between Ononwa and the western Iowa town of Onawa, so city officials decided to change the name. At this time, the local Methodist Church was looking for a $600 donation for a bell and fixtures. The first $100 was donated by resident Madison Letts; in gratitude, townspeople voted to rename the town Lettsville. The name was shortened to Letts and officially incorporated as Letts in 1877.
The first library established in the Louisa County town of Letts opened its doors in May 1910 in a space above a local barber shop. Originally called the Letts Reading and Rest Room, the growing library moved twice in its first three years of existence. It then relocated to a renovated home for over 20 years before moving back downtown to an old bank building in 1939.
In 1946, the city purchased a building in downtown Letts specifically for library use. Locals donated time and materials to complete the repairs and renovations necessary before the new location formally opened in 1947. Though the library remains in the same location today, a number of upgrades have been made over the years, including the addition of a children’s area in 1995.
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