When a library was first established in the Madison County community of Truro, books were added to a rental shelf and loaned to residents at a cost of 10 cents each. As money was raised through the rental fee, new books were purchased and added to the library collection. The library moved to the current building in 1966, which was expanded in 1978. The first computer was installed in the Truro Public Library in 1998, and interior renovations were completed in 2005.
Moving forward, the Truro Public Library has created a set of short- and long-term goals for operation, including growing the video library, maintain copy machine availability, update collections with new materials, and purchase a new computer every three years.
Located on the south side of the square in the Madison County seat of Winterset, this building housed the J.C. Penney department store from 1931 to 1997. It was originally constructed around 1870 and used as a hardware store in 1886; a dry goods store occupied the building in the early 1900s. When J.C. Penney vacated the property in 1997, an appliance store moved in. Lori Nordstrom’s photography studio is now housed in the historic downtown building.
A modest wooden sign on the north side of East Peru in Madison County, Iowa, marks the city’s discovery of the famous apple variety in 1892, five years after the community was founded. At the time, Louisiana-based Stark Nurseries held a contest to replace the “Ben Davis” apple, which was declining in nationwide popularity due to its lack of flavor. East Peru-area farmer Jesse Hiatt sent in the winning apple, which he called “Hawkeye.” The nursery bought rights to the apple and began growing it under the “Delicious” moniker.
Now labeled “Red Delicious,” the apple saw many changes over the years, as producers were able to make it firmer and juicer while allowing it to be stored in sealed warehouses for up to 12 months. In the 1980s, the Red Delicious represented nearly three-quarters of apple production in the state of Washington, the United States’ main apple producer. American consumers began to sour on the apple as other varieties gained prominence; by 2003, the Red Delicious apple lost over half its market share.
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