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.

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Two-story brick high school building with bell tower. Built in 1897.
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Two-story brick high school building with bell tower. Built in 1897.
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Patterson, J.B.
Pencil sketch of the three-story brick and stone high school building. The Romanesque building was built in 1855 and burned down in 1912. It was located at 800 Second Avenue North, Clear Lake, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa. Number 8.
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Doolittle's Studio, (Estherville, Iowa); KRUXO
Two story building with observation tower.
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Looking northeast. 1905 postmark. Number 130.
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The Iowa River lattice through truss bridge was located just south of Belle Plaine, Iowa. Number E9363.
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Looking northeast. Mears Cottage was constructed in 1888, costing $14,719. Originally served as a ladies dormitory. Number 1225.
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Looking southeast at the town of Delmar, Iowa, with the Schmitt Brothers hardware and implement store in the background. Frank K. Schmitt opened the business in fall of 1900 with his cousin, Frank Fritz. After Fritz's death, Frank J.'s brother Edward entered the partnership in 1902.
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Built in 1891 with a wooden deck, the Lyons Bridge spanned the Mississippi from Clinton (then Lyons), Iowa to Fulton, Illinois. It was replaced in 1933 with a metal grate (Lincoln Highway Bridge).
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Looking south on Main Street in Baxter. Horse and buggy in the street.
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Looking southwest on Main street at downtown Allison which includes Stark & Isaacson, Grocers, the Farmers Savings Bank, a pool room and a restaurant. Number 19. Title supplied by cataloger.
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Looking west from the Main Street business district in Cherokee, Iowa. Sign with Gust Hokanson, Merchant Tailor, on the left.
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Looking north on Main Street with water pumps in the foreground and horses and wagon in the background. Dexter was founded in 1868.
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Looking southwest at Main Street in Doon, Iowa, with a barbershop, ice cream parlor, and restaurant. Doon was incorporated in 1892 with founder, H.D. Rice, as its first mayor.
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Looking at the two-story new Presbyterian Church with bell tower in Brighton. It was built between 1900-1909.
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Normal College was originally founded as a private school called the Hazel Dell Academy by Professor Darius Thomas in 1856. In 1893, the school was sold to Professor G.W. Wormley who moved it to a new location and named it the Newton Normal College. Business and teaching classes were taught there until its closing in 1906.
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The first skyscraper in Iowa stood was on Locust Street reported at a height of 197 feet and heralded as "the tallest office building between Chicago and San Francisco" when it opened in 1896. It included a distinctive five-story observation tower and provided electricity and gas lighting to all tenants. The building was eventually demolished in1937, and this location is now occupied by Capital Square Mall. 1905 postmark. Number 105.
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Looking inside at the front office to Herring Cottage showing a table with a fan plugged into the ceiling light, front desk, and a piano in the parlor. The Herring Cottage, owned and operated by William P. Herring, ran a small auto bus from the hotel to the railroad depot to pick up guests and deliver them back to the train. The hotel was originally built in Colonial Revival style in 1900, designed by Cedar Rapids architect, Charles A. Dieman, and contracted by James Park of Belle Plaine. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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The Lutheran Children's Home was established by Norwegian Lutherans in 1890. The farm consisted of 617 acres of land. The home was closed in 1945 and the children's home was moved to Ames, Iowa.
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Raphael Tuck & Sons' Post Card Series (Clinton, Iowa)
Scenic view of the Mississippi River. Clinton is on the western shore of the Mississippi River and is the easternmost city in Iowa. The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge pass through Clinton along the river. Series 2155.