Photographs and documents related to the history of Poweshiek County contributed by individuals. Contributions from throughout the county are welcome and include the communities of Barnes City, Brooklyn, Deep River, Ewart, Grinnell, Guernsey, Hartwick, Malcom, Montezuma, Searsboro and Victor.
Stereo card view of Broad Street in Grinnell, Iowa, covered in snow. The view is looking south from approximately 5th Avenue. The low building on the left is Norris Livery with the Old Stone Church visible behind it. Central Park is the open area beyond the church. On the right side of the street a sign advertises furniture. Much of the furniture store block was destroyed by a fire in 1891, right around the time the photo may have been taken.
Letter from Alvin Robert Rickard to his brother, dated January 5, 1891. Tells about Christmas gifts, going to school, the weather, a wedding, riding the train, and encouraging his brother to write his parents more often.
Letter from Jennie Max in Grinnell, Iowa, to Henry Rickard in Iowa, Louisiana, dated January 9, 1891. Envelope is postmarked January 10, 1891, in Chester Centre, Iowa.
Letter from Alvin Robert Rickard in Grinnell, Iowa, to his brother, Henry Rickard, in Iowa, Louisiana dated January 5, 1891. The envelope is postmarked January 6, 1891. In the letter Alvin discusses classes he is taking in school, the weather, gifts he received for Christmas, a wedding he attended, and a party he went to near Stanwood, Iowa.
Receipt from Scott, Reed, & Scott, Attorneys and Counselors at Law, to Mrs. Luetta Decker dated January 3, 1895 for $129.23 paid against the account of M.F. Gray, deceased.
Receipt from Grinnell Granite and Marble Works to Luetta Decker, dated March, 1896, in the amount of $12.00 for a marker in Kent Cemetery, Poweshiek County, Iowa.
Description of how to mail a letter containing cash in 1896. The envelope is addressed to H.M. Rickard at I.A.C. (Iowa Agricultural College) in Ames, Iowa. This was written by a grandmother for her grandchildren. The description includes information about Martin Rickard and Anna Margaret Turner.
Letter written on Mack Hotel stationery from Wm. Snider to Miss Mae Andrews in Des Moines, dated October 7, 1896. The Mack Hotel was located at 813 Broad Street, Grinnell, Iowa.
The Lucas triplets were born in 1896 in Grinnell, Iowa, and were possibly the first set of triplets born in the state. Their mother was Theodora Craig Lucas, the sister of Edith Renfrow Smith's mother, Eva Craig Renfrow. From left to right: Martha, Rebecca, Mary. Mary died at age 8, Rebecca at about 20, and Martha married Percy Smith in 1917, and died in Stockton, California, on December 1, 1970.
The Palmer family homestead built on the Iowa prairie in 1857 near where Newburg, Iowa, is today. This picture was taken in 1897 with Edith Palmer standing in the yard.
534 Main Street, the home of Jonathan and Martha Child taken in 1898 in Grinnell, Iowa. Jonathan Child is holding the horse's rein; Martha Child is seated on the porch; Chloe Child is standing on the porch; and Frank Child is standing on the sidewalk behind the carriage.
The Madison Township, Poweshiek County, Iowa, assessor's book for 1899. Information listed for each family includes: name of head of household, number and sex of dogs owned, school district number, description and value of land owned, number, type and value of horses, mules, cattle, swine and sheep owned, number and value of vehicles owned, other personal property and post office address. The final "Recapitulation" sheets give totals and values for the entire township. The book was found in Madison #5 School (the White Cloud School). It has no cover and begins with a blank page. There are 26 double page spreads with data. There are no pages numbered 27 or 28 and page 29 is blank. There are two Recapitulation sheets at the end with data and one blank Recapitulation sheet.
Photograph of the Frederick and Henrietta Ahrens family on the front steps of their home at Sixth Avenue and Penrose in Grinnell, Iowa. The photo was probably taken about 1900, a few years after Frederick Ahrens lost his life in a farm accident involving runaway horses. Bottom row: Lizzie Myers, William Ahrens, Wilhelmina "Minnie" Ahrens, Frank Ahrens. Top row: Edward Ahrens, Annie Kuder, Henrietta H?cke Ahrens, Dora Ahrens Geiger, Ella Ahrens McMillan, Henry Ahrens.
