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History · Iowa

Iowa’s history is
mostly unwritten

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

0old images & papers
0recent photos

The story so far

from Wikipedia & the U.S. Census

Iowa Township is a civil township in Benson County, North Dakota, United States. As of the 2000 census, its population was 33.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 25 to 30 (+20%).

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

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

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

Iowa, 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
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Iowa is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Iowa has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Pierson Farm in Beaver, 10.2 miles away.

Iowa and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Iowa. Tap a dot.
Pierson FarmPierce County CourthouseSt. Paul's Episcopal ChurchUS Post Office-RugbyGreat Northern Passenger Depot

Closest to Iowa

Pierson FarmBeaver · Building10.2miPierce County CourthouseRugby · Building12.2miSt. Paul's Episcopal ChurchRugby · Building12.4miUS Post Office-RugbyRugby · Building12.4miGreat Northern Passenger DepotRugby · Built 190712.5mi

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. Pierson Farm’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Iowa?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Iowa’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
📜 Pleasant Lake📜 Reno Valley📜 Twin Lake📜 Meyer
We left the porch light on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Iowa, NDBenson CountyView boundary

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Iowa is your selected town. The feed includes posts assigned to this town, not a distance radius or ZIP code.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01
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