Historic Iowa Postcards

Grinnell College Libraries' Historic Iowa Postcard Collection. A collection of postcards from 1900 through the middle of the 20th century, covering all parts of Iowa.

grinnell:13835
Portrait of 22 glee club members. The men's glee club was established in 1894 and disbanded in 1958.
grinnell:13384
Looking southeast with Carnegie Library (Hall), Blair Hall, Herrick Chapel and Goodnow Hall. 1909 postmark. Number 2362.
grinnell:16278
Looking northeast at the Jefferson Elementary School which was constructed in 1937, and designed by the Des Moines architectural firm of Dougher, Rich & Woodburn in the Moderne style. The building is located at 501 North Cherry Street, Creston, Union County, Iowa, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. 1909 postmark.
grinnell:14211
Building remains and charred trees from a 3:00 am fire in Bayard, Iowa, "starting in a restaurant and destroying the greater portion of the business section of the town causing approximately $50,000 worth of damage. It was reported that due to the heavy winds that morning, heavy blasts of dynamite had to be used to check the flames". Title supplied by cataloger.
grinnell:13494
Looking west at the Central Building. It was built in 1908 costing just over $400,000. In 1938, it was renamed Beardshear Hall after William M. Beardshear who was president of the college from 1891 to 1902. 1909 postmark. Located at 515 Morrill Road, Ames, Story County, Iowa. Title supplied by cataloger.
grinnell:14479
Looking north on Main Street. A restaurant is on the left and a hardware/furniture store is on the right. The town of Aurora was officially incorporated on May 25, 1899. 1909 postmark.
grinnell:14199
Looking southeast at Main Street. There is a horse trough in the foreground, two dentist office signs and a lawyers office sign in the middle of the block and the grain elevator located in the background.
grinnell:14187
Looking southeast at Main Street. There is a horse and buggy with 3 women stopped in front of the horse trough and a woman coming down the stairs from the side of the building on the right. Further down the street you can see two dentist office signs and a lawyers office sign in the middle of the block and the grain elevator located in the background. 1909 postmark.
grinnell:13350
Looking north at the I.O.O.F. building (Cedar Falls Odd Fellows Temple) on the corner of Main and West Fourth Street and the central business district in the background. There appears to be a dentist office and a store, owned by Frank J. Mullen, located on street level of the building. It is late 19th and 20th Century Revivals architecture and was completed in 1902 by general contractor James E. Robinson. The construction of the Temple was a substantial contribution to the commercial development of the city's central business district. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places. 1909 postmark. Number 1380.
grinnell:14426
The Mason House was built in 1881 by William Mason Croft, mayor of Colfax, and was located closest to the train depot. In the process of drilling for coal in 1875, a well containing high mineral content was discovered near Colfax. The city flourished with this new discovery, and over the next four decades, thousands of people visited the town to partake in the healing powers of the fourteen mineral springs there. 1909 postmark. Number 157064.
grinnell:13827
Looking northwest. The mens gymnasium was constructed in 1899 and razed in 1972, costing $20,180.
grinnell:13469
Looking northeast. The church was completed in 1908. 1909 postmark. Located at 516 Kellogg Avenue, Ames, Story County, Iowa
grinnell:13728
Front entrance to a two story brick church with bell tower. 1909 postmark. Number 12235. Series PCK.
grinnell:15871
The church was built in 1903 and was valued at $27,500. 1909 postmark. Number 1064.
grinnell:13579
Looking southwest on corner of Fifth Avenue and Park Street. The Methodist Church was begun in 1895 and completed and dedicated in 1896. Richardsonian Romanesque in architectural styling. 1909 postmark. Number 928.
grinnell:14342
Mingo House was a two-story wooden hotel in Mingo, Iowa. Three women are pictured on the front porch. 1909 postmark.
grinnell:16138
A montage of photos from the U.S. Army National Tournament held at Fort Des Moines in 1909 during President William Howard Taft's visit to Des Moines. Photos include: U.S. Army Field Kitchen, National Tournament, Des Moines, Iowa; Erecting Tents, U.S. Army Tournament, Des Moines, Iowa; Mess Time, U.S. Army Tournament, Des Moines, Iowa; President William H. Taft, National Tournament of U.S. Army, Des Moines, Iowa; "Pete", 2nd Cavalry, National Tournament, Des Moines, Iowa; Field Artillery, U.S. Army Tournament, Des Moines, Iowa; "We Belong to Uncle Sam", U.S. Army Tournament. 1909 postmark. Number 6.
grinnell:13538
Child
Use the Light that Lights. "Use the Fuel that makes Cooking Fun."--t.p. Title supplied by cataloger.
grinnell:14028
1909 postmark.
grinnell:18452
In 1885 the city of Davenport acquired the property that had been the Scott County Fairgrounds. It is a significant example of landscape planning, and of the civic improvements that were being made by the city in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Five years after the land was purchased and improved it was named Central Park after New York City's park of the same name. Central Park was renamed Vander Veer after an early Davenport park commissioner in 1911. The park consists of 70.8 acres located at 215 West Central Park Avenue, Davenport, Scott County, Iowa, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 1909 postmark.