Grinnell’s history is
mostly unwritten
The public archives hold only 4 old photos of Grinnell. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Grinnell was founded by settlers from New England who were descended from English Puritans of the 1600s. Grinnell was founded in 1854 by four men: Josiah B. Grinnell, a Congregationalist from Vermont; Homer Hamlin, a minister; Henry Hamilton, a surveyor; and Dr. Thomas Holyoke. The city was to be named "Stella", but J. B. Grinnell convinced the others to adopt his name, describing it as rare and concise. Grinnell was incorporated on April 28, 1865, and by 1880, Grinnell had a population of around 2,000. Located at the junction of two railway lines (east–west line of the Rock Island Railroad and the north–south Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway), it is the largest community in Poweshiek County.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowStart Grinnell’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Grinnell’s history is told.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewGrinnell, IA, 4th Ave. and Broad …, 1907: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Grinnell
See all 23 →
Grinnell, decade by decade
1990s
18 historic places in Grinnell
Grinnell has 18 listings on the National Register, and they protect 298 historic buildings, because North Grinnell Historic District alone counts 202. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier, which fewer than 3% of listings reach.
Where they are
Architectural styles
When they were listed
LandmarkListed 1976Merchants' National Bank
Listed 1976Stewart Library
Listed 1976Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad-Grinnell Passenger Station
Listed 1978Spaulding Manufacturing Company
Listed 1979Goodnow Hall
Listed 1979Mears Hall
Listed 1979Levi P. Grinnell House
Listed 1979B. J. Ricker House
Listed 1980Charles H. Spencer House
Listed 1990Bowers and McDonald Office Building
Listed 1990Interior Telephone Company Building
Listed 1991Grinnell Herald Building
Listed 1991Grinnell Historic Commercial District
Listed 1999E.A. and Rebecca (Johnson) Marsh House
Listed 2008North Grinnell Historic District
Listed 2013Farmers Mutual Reinsurance Company Building
Listed 2013Pioneer Oil Company Filling StationListed 2013Grinnell Historic District (Boundary Increase)Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Grinnell, IA, 4th Ave. and Broad Sts (1907) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (2), the Library of Congress (2) and the National Register (1). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.