Constructed in 1874, the Swensrud School originally stood on a family farm four miles northeast of Northwood in Worth County, Iowa. In 1972, it was moved from farm to city and is now part of a central park in downtown Northwood.
Inside, visitors will find old desks, a pot-bellied stove, a collection of old school books, and a list of teachers who taught at the school. The school is closed for the season, with normal hours Sundays 2 to 4 p.m. between Memorial Day and Labor Day. The one-room schoolhouse is adjacent to the main Worth County Historical Museum.
Residents in the Buchanan county community of Stanley were up in arms in May 1995, when they learned their local post office would likely close its doors after over 100 years of operation. The post office, which was losing $23,000 each year, looked to be added to a long list of businesses and organizations that closed shop in Stanley. Its railroad business shut down in the 1940s; closures of local banks, hotels and grocery stores followed.
By 1955, the high school was consolidated, and in 1979, members of the local Methodist Church were forced to travel to nearby Oelwein for services. The post office ultimately stayed open three more years, closing for good in July 1998. Stanley’s 128 residents now retrieve their mail from the metal “cluster boxes” erected next door.
The northwest corner of Corydon’s square comes to life each weekend when the Wayne Theatre shows a first-run movie for residents throughout the community and county. Featuring 75 cent concessions and $4 adult admissions, the theatre is run completely by volunteers. The theatre dates to 1936, built with cinder block in an art deco design.
After a decade of off-and-on use, a large group of community volunteers banded together to restore and reopen the theatre in 1990. The exterior was repainted and interior refurbished with new curtains and seats. Office on each side of the theatre was repurposed for use as restrooms and a business office. For current movie listings, call (641) 872-2750.
This beautiful public library building sits in the town square of Estherville, the county seat of Emmet County in northern Iowa. The library dates to 1903, after Estherville became Iowa’s twelfth community to receive a Carnegie library grant. The entrance was shifted when the library was significantly expanded in 1995; the renovated library was rededicated in November of that year. A nice library exterior photo gallery can be found on the official library website.
Between 1856 and 1903, a post office operated in the village of New York, now a ghost town in Wayne County, Iowa. The New York Christian Church, which was built in 1887 and held services through 1971, was recently relocated to a site east of Allerton. It’s part of a series of historic buildings, including one of the few remaining round barns in the state. The buildings are open to the public during the summer, or anytime by appointment by calling (515) 872-2667.
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