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 United States
State Iowa
County Adair
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]

History

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

Berea was founded along the banks of the Middle Nodaway River; [2] it 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]

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]

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, [11] 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 Berea Store was purchased by the Arnold family in 1950. [12]

Berea still appeared on state maps as late as 1960. [13]

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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.
  3. ↑ Joseph Silas Diller (1902). Topographic Development of the Klamath Mountains. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 41.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Cleaver, Geraldine (January 20, 1944). "Did You Know... Or Do You Remember?" (PDF). Anita Tribune.
  5. ↑ "Post Offices". Jim Forte Postal History. 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. 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.
  9. ↑ "Celebration". The Anita Record. August 31, 1916. p. 5.
  10. ↑ Iowa State Gazetteer and Business Directory. R.L. Polk & Company. 1912.
  11. ↑ Plat Book of Adair County, Iowa. 1930.
  12. ↑ "Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Buy Berea Store". The Anita Tribune. February 16, 1950.
  13. ↑ "Iowa". World Book Encyclopedia. Vol. I. 1960. p. 304 Political Map.


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