Vandalia, Iowa

Vandalia, Iowa
Unincorporated community
Vandalia, Iowa is located in Iowa
Vandalia, Iowa
Vandalia, Iowa
Coordinates: 41°32′22″N 93°18′22″W / 41.53944°N 93.30611°W / 41.53944; -93.30611
CountryUnited States
StateIowa
CountyJasper
Elevation
906 ft (276 m)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
GNIS feature ID462542[1]

Vandalia is an unincorporated community in Jasper County, in the U.S. state of Iowa.[1]

Geography

The community is located at 41°32′22″N 93°18′22″W / 41.53944°N 93.30611°W / 41.53944; -93.30611,[1] five miles north of Runnels, Iowa, and 22 miles southwest of Newton, Iowa, the Jasper County seat.[2]

History

Vandalia in southwestern Jasper County, Iowa, 1902

In 1850, John Q. Deakin built a flour mill and carding factory where Vandalia is now located.[3]

Vandalia was platted in either 1851[3] or 1853[4] in Section 20 of Des Moines Township, Jasper County, Iowa. During the 1860s, the village prospered.[4]

The first building erected after the founding was a store, followed by a Baptist church, a schoolhouse in 1856, another mill, two hotels, three more general stores, a plow factory and two wagon shops. By 1865, Vandalia had nearly 400 residents. The Des Moines Valley Railroad met with community leaders to discuss the possibility of a rail line connecting Vandalia, but this did not occur. Businesses left Vandalia in favor of railroad towns.[3]

In the early 1900s, Vandalia was home to J.L. Cavett's general store.[2]

The population of Vandalia was 301 in 1902,[5] and 310 in 1925.[6]

Vandalia's population was 20 in 1940.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Vandalia, Iowa
  2. ^ a b Iowa State Gazetteer and Business Directory. R.L. Polk & Company. 1918.
  3. ^ a b c The History of Jasper County, Iowa: Containing a History of the County, Its Cities, Towns, &c.: a Biographical Directory of Its Citizens, War Record of Its Volunteers in the Late Rebellion, General and Local Statistics ... History of the Northwest, History of Iowa ... Western Historical Company. 1878. pp. 495–497.
  4. ^ a b Howe, Samuel Storrs; Parvin, Theodore Sutton; Lloyd, Frederick; Huff, Sanford W.; Aldrich, Charles; Harlan, Edgar Rubey (1850). Annals of Iowa. Iowa State Historical Department, Division of Historical Museum and Archives. p. 543.
  5. ^ Cram's Modern Atlas: The New Unrivaled New Census Edition. J. R. Gray & Company. 1902. pp. 203–207.
  6. ^ Premier Atlas of the World: Containing Maps of All Countries of the World, with the Most Recent Boundary Decisions, and Maps of All the States, territories, and Possessions of the United States with Population Figures from the Latest Official Census Reports, Also Data of Interest Concerning International and Domestic Political Questions. Rand McNally & Company. 1925. p. 190.
  7. ^ The Attorneys List. United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company, Attorney List Department. 1940. p. 314.


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