Vista, Iowa | |
|---|---|
former unincorporated community | |
  Vista, Iowa Location within the state of Iowa | |
| Coordinates: 42°24′48″N91°59′14″W / 42.41333°N 91.98722°W | |
| Country | USA |
| State | Iowa |
| County | Buchanan County |
| Elevation | 278 m (912 ft) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| GNIS feature ID | 464156 [1] |
Vista was an unincorporated community in Buchanan County, Iowa, United States. It was located at the junction of local roads Freeman Avenue and 260th Street.
Vista was in Section 26 of Westburg Township, [2] at the junction of Freeman Avenue and 260th Street. [3]
Founded in the 19th century, Vista appeared on maps as early as the 1870s. [4]
The Methodist Church in Vista, originally a Baptist congregation, was organized in 1878. [5] The Vista post office opened in 1889. [2]
The Vista post office closed in either 1903 [2] or 1904. [6] The History of Buchanan County, Iowa states the Vista Post office closed on December 31, 1904. [5]
In 1914, the Vista Methodist Church had 35 members in its congregation. [5] Vista's population was 28 in 1917. [7] The Vista Methodist Church closed in 1922. [8]
By the 1930s and 1940s, Vista was considered a former village, appearing in lists of former towns and villages alongside Shady Grove, Kiene, Newtonville, Atlantic, Gatesville, Coytown, Castleville, Monti, Middlefield, and the original Hazleton townsite; [2] [9] [10] only a few farmhouses remain. Vista still occasionally appears on county maps. [11]
In 1974, the owners of the property on which the school sat asked that the building be moved. The schoolhouse was moved a mile to the north that year by residents Mr. Circus (on whose land the school was moved) and Mr. Palmer Robinson, and they built a tiny new chapel next to it. A nearby steel shed was built to house antique John Deere equipment. A dedication ceremony opening the new Westburg Vista Community Center and Museum was held on June 20, 1976. [12]
the school originally was located a mile south of its current site but in 1974 the owners of the land on which the school sat requested the building be moved. Circus held a groundbreaking ceremony in June 1974 on a corner of his property and spent the next two years using his own funds moving the school restoring it and building additions to it. On June 20, 1976, a dedication service was held for the school, renamed the Westburg Vista Community Center. Next to it stood a new chapel designed and built by Circus [...] A steel shed on the property holds antique John Deere machinery. A brochure printed for the 1976 dedication tells why Circus and his neighbor, Palmer Robison, care about the place. As Circus and Robison remember days gone by and a county town no longer in existence they do not want history to perish with time so Vista Community Center takes on special meaning to them as it should to all county [residents]. Circus has established a trust fund that will continue the upkeep of the Center after his death.
Municipalities and communities of Buchanan County, Iowa, United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Townships | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
