Independence is a city in, and the county seat of, Buchanan County, Iowa, United States. The population was 6,064 in the 2020 census, an increase from 6,014 in 2000.
The Wapsipinicon River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 300 miles (480 km) long, starting near the southeastern border of Minnesota and running through northeastern Iowa in the United States. It drains a rural farming region of rolling hills and bluffs north of Waterloo and Cedar Rapids.
This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Clayton County, Iowa.
The Lee House, also known as Lee, Captain Daniel S. and Fannie L. (Brooks), House, in Independence, Iowa was built in 1867 by David J. Roberts.
The Buffalo Bill Cody Homestead is the boyhood home of Buffalo Bill Cody, a government scout and Wild West showman. The homestead is located in the broad valley of the Wapsipinicon River Valley south of McCausland, Iowa, United States, in rural Scott County. The farmhouse was built in 1847 by Isaac Cody, Buffalo Bill's father, of native limestone and contains walnut floors and trim.
Pine Mills German Methodist Episcopal Church is an historic building located in Muscatine County, Iowa, United States. The building was built by volunteers in 1867. The congregation was made up of German immigrants who desired to maintain their own language and culture in their religious practices. The last service was held in the church on Christmas Eve 1910. The building passed to private ownership and was used as a farm building and workshop. Over the years the building deteriorated because of disuse. It was donated by Paul Kemper, who owned it, to the Muscatine Area Heritage Association. Renovation of the former church was spearheaded by the American Schleswig Holstein Heritage Society and the Muscatine Community Foundation. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.
The Upper Paris Bridge is an historic structure located near the town of Coggon in rural Linn County, Iowa, United States. The pin-connected Whipple through truss bridge was built in 1879 as a wagon bridge. It was designed by the Wrought Iron Bridge Company of Canton, Ohio. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998 as a part of the Highway Bridges of Iowa MPS.
McClellan's General Store is an historic structure located in New London, Iowa, United States. James and Adeline McClellan moved to Henry County in 1856. He bought the lot for $365 in 1867 and had the building built for a mercantile business that he founded the same year. It was the first building constructed in the simplified Italianate style in town He added dry goods to his store in 1875 and the business was renamed McClellan and Stottard Dry Goods Store at about the same time. The McClellan family used the second floor as their residence for several years The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.
The Carnegie Library Building in Carroll, Iowa, United States, is a building from 1905. The 60-by-38.5-foot structure was designed in the Prairie School style by Omaha architect Thomas R. Kimball. The Carnegie Corporation of New York had accepted Carroll's application for a grant for $10,000 on February 12, 1903. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
The Taylor's Ford Bridge is a historic structure located four miles southeast of Independence, Iowa, United States. It spans the Wapsipinicon River for 271 feet (83 m). In January 1872 the Buchanan County Board of Supervisors contracted with the Wrought Iron Bridge Co. from Canton, Ohio, to build a two-span bridge in the city of Independence for $20,102. It had replaced an earlier span that had been washed away in a flood. Both spans were replaced by a heavier span in 1891. One of the spans was moved to Buffalo Township, and has subsequently been removed. This bridge is the other span. It has been replaced a second time by a heavier bridge, but it remains in place even though it no longer carries vehicle traffic. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
The Wapsipinicon River Bridge is a historic structure located in Independence, Iowa, United States. It spans the Wapsipinicon River for 341 feet (104 m). The Buchanan County Board of Supervisors contracted with the Miller-Taylor Construction Company from Waterloo, Iowa, to build the new bridge on the south side of Independence for $37,680. However, high water created problems during construction, and the bridge was completed in January 1927 for $57,530. It replaced an earlier two-span iron truss bridge. This bridge is a concrete filled spandrel arch bridge with four spans. It was designed by the Iowa State Highway Commission, and continues to carry vehicle traffic. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. There is a similar bridge upstream in Independence that was built in 1918.
The Lynnville Mill and Dam, also known as Wagaman Mill, is a historic complex located in Lynnville, Iowa, United States. John Sparks relocated from Lee County to Jasper County in 1845. That year he began building a small paddle-wheel saw mill, which was completed the following year. In 1847 he began the construction of a grist mill, which he finished in 1848. This was the first mill in Jasper County. Jesse Arnold, who bought the mill in 1852, and his son Joseph replaced the paddle-wheel with a vertical drive hydraulic turbine in 1868. W.K. Wagaman bought the mill in 1898 and modernized the machinery, and his son Fred installed the concrete dam, and added an additional turbine and a wheel house in 1918–1919. He discontinued the grinding of wheat, which was no longer profitable, and focused on the production of animal feed, corn meal, and electricity. Fred's son Harris (Huck) took over the mill in 1946, and in 1958 completely electrified the operation. The Jasper County Conservation Board began restoring the wheel house of the mill to its original operating condition in 1973. The mill was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. The Lynnville Historical Society began repairing the mill building in 1998.
Daniel Nelson House and Barn, also known as the Nelson Pioneer Farm and Museum, are historic buildings located north of Oskaloosa, Iowa, United States. Daniel and Margaret Nelson settled here in 1844, a year after this part of Iowa was opened to settlement by the U.S. Government. Their first home was a log structure, non-extant, located northeast of the present house. The present house is a two-story, brick structure with a gable roof. The wooden porches on the front and back of the house date from 1898 to 1900. The large barn measures 61 by 46 feet, and was built in 1856. It is composed of board and batten construction from oak that was milled on the site. It was used largely as a granary, rather than a shelter for farm animals. Three other buildings included in the historic designation include the summer kitchen, woodshed, and a small outdoor privy. The dates of construction for the three frame buildings is unknown. The farm remained in the Nelson family until 1941 when it was abandoned with most of the original furnishings intact. The property was donated to the Mahaska County Historical Society, which now operates it as a museum. Other historic buildings have been moved to this location over the years. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
Seneca Williams Mill is a historic building located just outside of Maquoketa, Iowa, United States. Originally known as Oakland Mill, it was built by Joseph Willey in 1867. The 2½-story stone building has a partial basement and is capped with a gable roof. A water-powered turbine, still extant, supplied the power to operate the mill. The location of the mill race can still be seen on the east side of the property, and permanents of the damn remain in Prairie Creek. None of the mill workings remain on the inside. Willey sold the mill to Seneca Williams in 1867, and he operated in until 1904. The building was converted into a barn in 1920. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. Wildlife artist Patrick J. Costello used the old mill as a residence and studio from 1979 to 2006. His daughter Tracy Costello Taylor has operated it since as a reception hall.
Sumner Bridge is a historic structure located in Sumner, Iowa, United States. It spans the Little Wapsipinicon River for 125 feet (38 m). In June 1916 the Fayette County Board of Supervisors agreed with the supervisors in Bremer County to build this bridge on the county line. The agreement was for Bremer County to take the lead on the planning and for both counties to share the costs. Fred Boedeker was awarded a contract for $7,058 to build this concrete deck girder bridge designed by the Iowa State Highway Commission. The three span structure features concrete abutments and piers with bullnosed cutwaters. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
Hale Bridge is a historic structure located south of Anamosa, Iowa, United States. It spans the Wapsipinicon River for 296 feet (90 m). In April 1877 the Jones County Board of Supervisors contracted with the King Iron Bridge and Manufacturing Co. of Cleveland to provide iron bridges to the county for the next year. Pile driving for this bridge's substructure got underway soon after, and the piers were completed by early fall. King provided a 100-foot (30 m) Bowstring through arch-truss and a shorter pony arch in the winter of 1878. The bridge's configuration was changed the following spring and the county ordered another pony truss to replace the original timber approach. The bridge was completed in June 1879, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. The Hale Bridge remained in its original location near the unincorporated community of Hale until 2006 when it was moved upriver to Wapsipinicon State Park south of Anamosa.
Wapsipinicon State Park is located south of Anamosa, Iowa, United States. The 394-acre (159 ha) park is along the sandstone and limestone bluffs of the Wapsipinicon River, from which it derives its name. It is one of the oldest state parks in Iowa, and it was listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.
The Fish Creek Bridge is a historic structure that was originally located east of Salem, Iowa, United States. The span carried Hickory Road over Fish Creek for 50 feet (15 m). It is a small-scale, wrought-iron bridge that the Henry County Board of Supervisors bought from the George E. King Bridge Company of Des Moines in 1893 for $410.80. It was believed to have been fabricated by their parent company, King Iron Bridge Company of Cleveland, and assembled by local laborers. Its historical significance derived from its being an uncommon variant of the Pratt truss. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. Subsequently, the bridge has been replaced at its original location, and the historic structure was moved to Oakland Mills Park.
The Matsell Bridge is a historic structure located northeast of Springville, Iowa, United States. It carries Matsell Park Road for 303 feet (92 m) over the Wapsipinicon River. This bridge replaced a bowstring truss bridge that had been built in stages between 1870 and 1906. E.W. Blumenschein, bridge design engineer for the Iowa State Highway Commission, recommended a plate girder bridge as a replacement. Clifford Shoemaker, District Engineer of the Federal Bureau of Public Roads, approved the plans as the new span was built by the Works Progress Administration. It was constructed by Amos Melberg for about $22,300. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
Notbohm Mill Archaeological District, designated 13LN296 in the state archaeological inventory, is a nationally recognized historic district located west of Alburnett, Iowa, United States. It includes the remnants of the mill's foundation, the mill race, and the now-dry mill pond along the east branch of Otter Creek. This was both a grist mill and a sawmill operation. The mill began operating in the late 1860s. Frederick Notbohm began building the mill facility, which is the subject of this district, in 1875 near the now-defunct town of Lafayette. It continued to operate into the late 1930s and the mill itself continued to stand into the 1970s when it collapsed. The historic district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.
