Iola’s history is
mostly unwritten
The public archives hold only 3 old photos of Iola. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗The history of Iola began in 1859. After the location of the county seat at Humboldt, by the legislature of 1858, there was a great deal of dissatisfaction among the residents of the central and northern parts of the county, and a number of citizens selected the present site of Iola, with the intention of ultimately securing the county seat. On January 1, 1859, a large meeting was held at the Deer Creek schoolhouse. It was determined to organize a town company, which was immediately done, and a constitution was then adopted and officers elected. The officers of the company after due consideration of different points selected a site for the proposed town, about two miles (3 km) north of Cofachique, at the confluence of Elm Creek and the Neosho River. The site was owned in part by J.F. Colborn and W.H. Cochrane. The claims on two quarter-sections were bought, and were soon after surveyed …
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowStart Iola’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Iola’s history is told.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old view1876 Iola Register Kansas Februar…, 1876: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Iola
See all 13 →
Iola, decade by decade
1990s
Nothing in Iola is on the National Register yet
That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Iola has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Iola Theatre in Iola, 3 miles away.
Iola and the nearest listed places
How a place gets listed
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as 1876 Iola Register Kansas February 05 LC (1876) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (5), the Library of Congress (1) and the National Register (3). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.