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History · Willey

Willey’s history is
mostly unwritten

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

0old images & papers
2recent photos

The story so far

from Wikipedia & the U.S. Census

Willey is a city in Carroll County, Iowa, United States. The population was 73 at the time of the 2020 census.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 88 to 73 (-17%). Half of its homes were built before 1938.

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Willey yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.

Be one of the first

Start Willey’s collection

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

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Famous people from Willey

See all 2 →
FGFrank Henry GretemanFaithRalph G. NeppelRalph G. NeppelMilitary
By decade

Willey, 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
Willey, IACommonsWilley, IA2020IAMap-doton-WilleyCommonsIAMap-doton-Willey2004
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Willey is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Willey has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Quail Avenue Bridge in Glidden, 4.1 miles away.

Willey and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Willey. Tap a dot.
Quail Avenue BridgeHoly Guardian Angels Church and Cemetery Historic DistrictKittyhawk Avenue BridgeCarroll City-Mount Olivet CemeteryCarnegie Library BuildingGraham Park Historic District

Closest to Willey

Quail Avenue BridgeGlidden · Structure4.1miHoly Guardian Angels Church and Cemetery Historic DistrictHalbur · District5.1miKittyhawk Avenue BridgeCarroll · Structure5.2miCarroll City-Mount Olivet CemeteryCarroll · District5.7miCarnegie Library BuildingCarroll · Building6.4mi

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. Quail Avenue Bridge’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Willey?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Willey’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
📜 Dedham📜 Carroll📜 Glidden📜 Templeton

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

The door’s open

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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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