For the first eighty years following the Waterloo Public Library’s organization in 1896, two separate libraries served the community, with locations on each side of the Cedar River. In 1977, voters in Waterloo approved a $3.6 million bond issue to renovate the former post office and federal building into a new, single library. The project preserved the architectural characteristics of the 1938 building, renovated the interior space to better suit a library, and improve energy efficiency. Visitors will enjoy the two WPA-era murals inside the library, painted in 1940 by Edgar Britton, a student of Grant Wood.
In 1855, the Black Hawk County Board of Commissioners opted to move the county seat from Cedar Falls to Waterloo. The first county courthouse was constructed shortly after, and a second courthouse was constructed in 1902. As the second courthouse aged, according to a 1960 Waterloo Courier article, concerns grew over falling plaster and sagging floors, plus inefficient water and electrical systems.
That year, Black Hawk County voters approved a bond issue for construction of a third courthouse at a cost of $2 million. The vote was passed by a razor-thin margin, receiving 60.35% approval, just a fraction more than the 60% required to approve a bond issue under Iowa law. It was the second time residents voted on a courthouse proposal in less than two years; the first proposal failed due to a controversy over the planned location.
The modern red and black polished stone courthouse was completed in 1964. Offices were moved to the courthouse beginning in late July, and an open house was held October 11.
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.
Located on the north side of the square in downtown Glenwood, Iowa, the Rex Theatre has been showing movies since 1909. Originally built as a live performance house, the building was constructed by the local Independent Order of Odd Fellows in 1891. Many aspects of the historic building have been preserved, including some of the original hardwood floors and tin and plaster drop ceilings along with the ornate stained glass window on the second floor.
The theatre has been under the same ownership since 2001, when local resident William McGinnis purchased the business after seeing a for-sale ad in the Glenwood newspaper. Movies are shown each Friday and Saturday night, with an occasional Sunday matinée. The theatre caters to families, with no R-rated movies shown and a reasonable $5.00 admission cost. Note the theatre is closed during the winter months to save on maintenance costs; when movies resume, call (712) 527-4433 for showtimes.
A public library was first established in the small Wapello County, Iowa, community of Eldon in 1906, when a private group raised sufficient funds to rent a second-story room above a downtown local business. Within two years, a formal library association had been incorporated under state laws and recurring financial support of the library was transferred to the city. By 1911, efforts began to secure a Carnegie library grant for construction of a permanent library building.
A $7,500 grant was awarded and construction began in 1912. The new library opened and was dedicated in May 1913, and the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. The Eldon Public Library is open six days weekly.
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