The cornerstone of the Shelby County Courthouse was laid in August 1892, officially kicking off the $63,000 construction project in downtown Harlan, Iowa. A 20-foot-tall was originally present in the center of the courthouse, which was officially dedicated in 1893. Following the removal of the tower in 1899, the courthouse remained largely unchanged for nearly 80 years. In 1978, an elevator was installed as part of a major interior renovation. The courthouse is one of 40 in Iowa built before 1900.
The community of Kelley has gained statewide attention from its downtown phone booth, one of the last working phone booths remaining in the state of Iowa. It was featured in theDes Moines Register in May this year; in August, popular radio hosts Van and Bonnie broadcasted their WHO morning show from the phone booth. Constructed in 1963, the phone booth sits at the intersection of Giddings and Grace Streets in downtown Kelley.
Kelley’s Post Office, located one block to the east, was first established in June 1875. Kelley’s population was 300 as of the 2000 census.
The owners of the Fox Theater retired this June, marking at least a temporary end of operation at this historic movie house in downtown Fort Madison. The two screen theatre’s final movies were The Backup Plan and Shrek IV, shown the weekend of June 4, 2010. Originally opened as the Strand Theater in 1929, the cinema was renamed following a major renovation project in 1951.
The Free Public Library in Humboldt was opened and dedicated on Tuesday, February 9, 1909. According to the Humboldt Independent, the library dedication was “well attended by the ladies and young people of the town.” The dedication included a number of speeches from local and state officials, followed by an official flag raising to commence the afternoon event. Activities were scheduled to run through the evening but were briefly interrupted due to a late afternoon snow storm.
The original library building is still in use, though it was expanded and renovated in 1992. The library features an Iowa limestone exterior and oak columns and woodwork inside; construction costs were covered by a $10,000 Carnegie grant.
A 1950 TIME Magazine article highlighted the sharp population decline in the Union county community of Shannon City. The most recent census numbers revealed a loss of 119 inhabitants from its peak population mark of 288. The owner of the local general store lamented that “none of the kids ever comes back here to live after they’ve gone away to school.” The town newspaper died when the editor died in the 1940s. The foundation from an the old theatre was overgrown with weeds.
Shannon City has continued to decline in population, with a mere 70 residents counted for the 2000 census. The only active building on main street is the part-time post office; a part-time bank up the street closed up years ago, while the only other storefront was without a roof or window and fully overrun by vegetation.
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