A history of Irwin,
then and now
Postcards, papers and photographs of Irwin from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗The Western Town Lot Company established Irwin in 1881. The town was named for E. W. Irwin, the property owner. Irwin was incorporated in 1892.
In 1963, two United States Air Force B-47E bombers based at Schilling Air Force Base near Salina, Kansas, collided over western Iowa on August 19 and crashed several miles apart near Irwin. All six crewman ejected, but three were killed.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Irwin’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewShelby County, Iowa. Commercializ…, 1941: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Irwin, decade by decade
CommonsShelby County, Iowa. Commercialized entertainment in the vi…1941
CommonsShelby County, Iowa. Commercialized entertainment in the vi…1941
CommonsShelby County, Iowa. Commercialized entertainment in the vi…1941
CommonsShelby County, Iowa. During the intermission several boys a…1941
CommonsShelby County, Iowa. Homes in the village are almost all co…1941
CommonsShelby County, Iowa. Homes in the village are almost all co…19411990s
1 historic place in Irwin
1 place in Irwin is on the National Register of Historic Places, the country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Where they are
When they were listed
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Shelby County, Iowa. Commercialized entertainment in the village is confined to the movie house, whi (1941) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (6). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.