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History · Miles

Miles’s history is
mostly unwritten

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

1870established
0old images & papers
2recent photos

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

In 1870, Miles was founded in anticipation of a railroad which would be built through the territory. The town was named for its founder, F. M. Miles.

In 1871, Miles was formally laid out, with the first house being built the following year, in 1872.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Be one of the first

Start Miles’s collection

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

See all 13 →
David C. HilmersDavid C. HilmersClinton · 15 miFred SchuleFred SchulePreston · 4 miLillian RussellLillian RussellClinton · 15 miEliza Ruhamah ScidmoreEliza Ruhamah ScidmoreClinton · 15 miSalvatore GiuntaSalvatore GiuntaClinton · 15 miEGEdward Alphonso GoldmanMount Carroll · 14 mi
By decade

Miles, 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
MilesSchoolCommonsMilesSchool2019IAMap-doton-MilesCommonsIAMap-doton-Miles2004
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Miles is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Miles has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Polygonal Barn, Van Buren Township in Preston, 2.4 miles away.

Miles and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Miles. Tap a dot.
Polygonal Barn, Van Buren TownshipLafayette Lamb HouseJeremiah Wood HouseJohn S. Dominy HouseSavanna-Sabula BridgePeter Dierks House

Closest to Miles

Polygonal Barn, Van Buren TownshipPreston · Building2.4miLafayette Lamb HouseSabula · Building7miJeremiah Wood HouseSabula · Built 18667.5miJohn S. Dominy HouseSabula · Built 18598miSavanna-Sabula BridgeSabula · Built 19328.4mi

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. Polygonal Barn, Van Buren Township’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Miles?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Miles’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
📜 Preston📜 Andover📜 Spragueville📜 Goose Lake

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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