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History · Wiota

Wiota’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Wiota. 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

Wiota is a city in Cass County, Iowa, United States. The population was 91 at the time of the 2020 census.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 116 to 91 (-22%). Half of its homes were built before 1938.

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Wiota 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 Wiota’s collection

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

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

Wiota, 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
Wiota, IACommonsWiota, IA2020IAMap-doton-WiotaCommonsIAMap-doton-Wiota2004
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Wiota is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Wiota has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Job A. and Rebecca E. McWaid House in Atlantic, 5.9 miles away.

Wiota and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Wiota. Tap a dot.
Job A. and Rebecca E. McWaid HouseS. F. Martin HouseAtlantic High SchoolHotel WhitneyCharles F. and and Ruth Chase HouseCass County Court House

Closest to Wiota

Job A. and Rebecca E. McWaid HouseAtlantic · Built 18755.9miS. F. Martin HouseAtlantic · Built 18746miAtlantic High SchoolAtlantic · Moderne6.2miHotel WhitneyAtlantic · Building6.5miCharles F. and and Ruth Chase HouseAtlantic · Built 19156.6mi

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. Job A. and Rebecca E. McWaid House’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Wiota?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Wiota’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
📜 Anita📜 Atlantic📜 Cumberland📜 Brayton

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

The coffee’s on

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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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