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History · Gladbrook

Gladbrook’s history is
mostly unwritten

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

0old images & papers
5recent photos

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

A post office called Gladbrook has been in operation since 1880. The name Gladbrook was coined by a railroad official.

On March 21, 1910, the Green Mountain train wreck occurred between Gladbrook and Green Mountain, in which a derailment killed more than 50 people riding on the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad line.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Be one of the first

Start Gladbrook’s collection

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

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Famous people from GladbrookWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Gladbrook.Meet them →
By decade

Gladbrook, 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
GladbrookIowaPopPlotCommonsGladbrookIowaPopPlot2021Untitled photoCommonsUntitled photo2021Untitled photoCommonsUntitled photo2014Matchstick Marvels MuseumCommonsMatchstick Marvels Museum2006IAMap-doton-GladbrookCommonsIAMap-doton-Gladbrook2004
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Gladbrook is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Gladbrook has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Conant's Cabin and Park in Gladbrook, 3.1 miles away.

Gladbrook and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Gladbrook. Tap a dot.
Conant's Cabin and ParkLe Grand BridgeLe Grand BridgeQuarry BridgeYoung, John W., Round BarnGrundy Center High School

Closest to Gladbrook

Conant's Cabin and ParkGladbrook · Bungalow/Craftsman · Built 19203.1miLe Grand BridgeLe Grand · Built 189611miLe Grand BridgeLe Grand · Structure11.4miQuarry BridgeLe Grand · Structure12miYoung, John W., Round BarnTraer · Building12.3mi

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. Conant's Cabin and Park’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Gladbrook?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Gladbrook’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
📜 Lincoln📜 Beaman📜 Garwin📜 Conrad

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

The porch light’s on

Where to, neighbor?

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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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