Berea, Iowa

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Berea, Iowa
Unincorporated community
USA Iowa location map.svg
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Berea, Iowa
Coordinates: 41°22′27″N94°40′49″W / 41.37417°N 94.68028°W / 41.37417; -94.68028
Country Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
State Flag of Iowa.svg Iowa
County Adair
Township Eureka
Named after Berea (Bible)
Elevation
1,306 ft (398 m)
Time zone UTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code 641
GNIS feature ID464460 [1]

Berea was an unincorporated community in Eureka Township, Adair County, Iowa, United States. [1]

Contents

Geography

Berea was founded along the banks of the Middle Nodaway River; [2] It was in Eureka Township.

History

Berea was located in western Adair County. Adair County, Iowa map from 1903.png
Berea was located in western Adair County.

Berea was named after the Ancient Greek city of Berea. [3] The community was founded by Ned Brown and Alexander Broadfoot, who were early settlers, and its peak population was around 100 residents. [4]

According to the Anita News, "Berea started as an o!d trading post but the village grew until it boasted a population of one hundred, with everal prosperous business houses, including three general stores, a postoffice, blacksmith shop, large implement store with a community hall on the second floor, and a slaughter house." [4]

A post office called Berea was established in 1894, and remained in operation until 1908. [5] In 1905, the community was reported to have a population of 40, with a general store, a pharmacist, a creamery, a blacksmith and a wagonmaker. [6] The Berea Store was built in June 1909, replacing an earlier store which had been destroyed by fire. [7]

In 1915, Berea was described as a village, with the Berea Horse Company being a noted business, owned by brothers Isaac Brown and A.R. Brown. [8] At that time, Berea had a town band which performed at community events. [9] Around that time, Berea's population was estimated at 50 residents. [10]

The Berea Gospel Hall was built in 1929. [4] Around this time, the Iowa Department of Public Instruction praised the Berea School, stating that the school was "an outstanding example of what can be done to transform an unpromising situation into an usually efficient school." [11]

The Rock Island Railroad passed through nearby Anita and Adair, and it was for this reason that Berea began to decline. [4] A school still operated at Berea in the 1930s, [12] but most other services had closed by this time. In 1936, the Berea School closed due to lack of pupils, and by the 1940s, the community was called a "ghost village". [4] By that time, Berea had only a general store, the closed school, and the Berea Gospel Hall. [4]

The population was 30 in 1940. [13]

The Berea Store was purchased by the Arnold family in 1950. [14]

Berea still appeared on state maps as late as 1960. [15]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Berea, Iowa
  2. ↑ Plat Book of Adair County, Iowa. Mid-West Map Publishers. 1951. Archived from the original on May 23, 2021. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  3. ↑ Joseph Silas Diller (1902). Topographic Development of the Klamath Mountains. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 41.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Cleaver, Geraldine (January 20, 1944). "Did You Know... Or Do You Remember?" (PDF). Anita Tribune. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Post Offices". Jim Forte Postal History. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  6. ↑ Polk's Iowa State Gazetteer and Business Directory 1905-1906. Vol. XIII (28th ed.). Des Moines; Chicago; Detroit: R. L. Polk & Co. 1905. p. 205. Archived from the original on January 7, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Anita Remembers: Looking Back in the Tribune Files". The Anita Tribune. May 28, 1959. p. 2.
  8. ↑ Kilburn, Lucian Moody (1915). History of Adair County, Iowa, and Its People. Pioneer publishing Company. ISBN   978-1-58103-412-7. Archived from the original on January 7, 2024. Retrieved December 15, 2021.{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
  9. ↑ "Celebration". The Anita Record. August 31, 1916. p. 5.
  10. ↑ Iowa State Gazetteer and Business Directory. R.L. Polk & Company. 1912. Archived from the original on January 7, 2024. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  11. ↑ Iowa Department of Public Instruction (1928). Standardization of Rural Schools. State of Iowa. pp. 38–39.
  12. ↑ Plat Book of Adair County, Iowa. 1930. Archived from the original on May 23, 2021. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  13. ↑ The Attorneys List. United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company, Attorney List Department. 1940. p. 293. Archived from the original on November 3, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Buy Berea Store". The Anita Tribune. February 16, 1950.
  15. ↑ "Iowa". World Book Encyclopedia. Vol. I. 1960. p. 304 Political Map.
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