Photos by County | Poweshiek County, Iowa

United Methodist Church (Guernsey, Iowa)

In 1873, Methodists in rural Poweshiek County organized the Sunset Church near the present-day site of Guernsey. The first church building for the congregation was constructed at a cost of $1,600 and was dedicated October 26, 1879. The town of Guernsey was platted four years later, and a majority of members desired to establish a presence in the new community. In 1894, the Sunset Church was torn down, with the lumber repurposed for use in construction of a new church building in Guernsey.

The new church in Guernsey was completed in 1894 at a cost of $3,350. Though efforts in 1941 to construct a new building did not materialize, a significant expansion project was completed in 1965. The Guernsey United Methodist Church currently shares a pastor with four other area churches.

Published January 26, 2012 | Churches | Poweshiek County | Map

Carnegie Library Building (Montezuma, Iowa)

The Carnegie Library building in Montezuma sits on the southwest corner of the square and is occupied by the Poweshiek County Historical and Genealogical Society.  The Society took advantage of the opportunity to relocate the the historic building when the community’s Public Library moved to a new, modern facility in 2005. The library was the next-to-last to be granted by Carnegie in the state of Iowa. The library was dedicated in 1919.

Published October 13, 2010 | Carnegie Libraries | Poweshiek County | Map