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History · Batavia

Batavia’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Batavia. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

0old images & papers
5recent photos

The story so far

from Wikipedia & the U.S. Census

Batavia is a city in Jefferson County, Iowa, United States. The population was 430 at the 2020 census. It was established in 1846.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 499 to 430 (-14%). Half of its homes were built before 1938.

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Batavia yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.

Be one of the first

Start Batavia’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Batavia’s history is told.

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Famous people close to Batavia

See all 17 →
Tom ArnoldTom ArnoldOttumwa · 13 miAdam YoungAdam YoungOttumwa · 13 miHHHarry HarlowFairfield · 10 miKaren MorleyKaren MorleyOttumwa · 13 miEREdward J. RuppeltOttumwa · 13 miBeverley OwenBeverley OwenOttumwa · 13 mi
By decade

Batavia, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
Today5 photos
BataviaIowaPopPlotCommonsBataviaIowaPopPlot2021Untitled photoCommonsUntitled photo201620160614 120 Grain ElevatorCommons20160614 120 Grain Elevator2016Batavia, IowaCommonsBatavia, Iowa2013IAMap-doton-BataviaCommonsIAMap-doton-Batavia2004
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Batavia is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Batavia has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Dibble House in Eldon, 5.6 miles away.

Batavia and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Batavia. Tap a dot.
Dibble HouseEldon Carnegie Public LibraryMcHaffey Opera HouseBig 4 Fair Art HallChief Wapello's Memorial ParkFred and Rosa Fulton Barn

Closest to Batavia

Dibble HouseEldon · Gothic · Built 18825.6miEldon Carnegie Public LibraryEldon · Built 19066miMcHaffey Opera HouseEldon · Building6.1miBig 4 Fair Art HallEldon · Built 19116.5miChief Wapello's Memorial ParkAgency · Site6.5mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Dibble House’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Batavia?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Batavia’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Eldon📜 Libertyville📜 Agency📜 Maharishi Vedic City

From Wikimedia Commons (5). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

We left the porch light on

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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