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History · Gilman

Gilman’s history is
mostly unwritten

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

0old images & papers
2recent photos

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

Gilman got its start in the year 1870, following construction of the Central Railroad of Iowa through the territory. The town is named for Charles Gilman, a railroad contractor. Gilman was incorporated in 1876. Gilman celebrates No-Rivers Day at the Gilman No-Rivers Festival. The annual festival is orchestrated by the Gilman Events committee.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Be one of the first

Start Gilman’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Gilman’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 Gilman

See all 22 →
Danai GuriraDanai GuriraGrinnell · 10 miJean SebergJean SebergMarshalltown · 12 miFrank Jack FletcherFrank Jack FletcherMarshalltown · 12 miJoseph KosinskiJoseph KosinskiMarshalltown · 12 miMary Beth HurtMary Beth HurtMarshalltown · 12 miToby HussToby HussMarshalltown · 12 mi
By decade

Gilman, 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
Today2 photos
GilmanIowaPopPlotCommonsGilmanIowaPopPlot2021IAMap-doton-GilmanCommonsIAMap-doton-Gilman2004
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Gilman is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Gilman has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is B. J. Ricker House in Grinnell, 9.4 miles away.

Gilman and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Gilman. Tap a dot.
B. J. Ricker HouseNorth Grinnell Historic DistrictCharles H. Spencer HouseGoodnow HallMerchants' National BankPioneer Oil Company Filling Station

Closest to Gilman

B. J. Ricker HouseGrinnell · Built 19129.4miNorth Grinnell Historic DistrictGrinnell · Late Victorian9.4miCharles H. Spencer HouseGrinnell · Building9.5miGoodnow HallGrinnell · Building9.6miMerchants' National BankGrinnell · Building9.8mi

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. B. J. Ricker House’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Gilman?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Gilman’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
📜 Ferguson📜 Laurel📜 Montour📜 Le Grand

From Wikimedia Commons (2). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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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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