Berea, Iowa Explained

Official Name:Berea, Iowa
Pushpin Map:Iowa
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Iowa
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Adair
Timezone:Central (CST)
Utc Offset:-6
Timezone Dst:CDT
Utc Offset Dst:-5
Elevation Ft:1306
Coordinates:41.3742°N -94.6803°W
Area Code:641
Blank Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank Info:464460

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

History

Berea was founded along the banks of the Middle Nodaway River;[1] it was named after the Ancient Greek city of Berea.[2] The community was founded by Ned Brown and Alexander Broadfoot, who were early settlers, and its peak population was around 100 residents.

A post office called Berea was established in 1894, and remained in operation until 1908.[3] 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.[4] The Berea Store was built in June 1909, replacing an earlier store which had been destroyed by fire.[5]

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.[6] At that time, Berea had a town band which performed at community events.[7] Around that time, Berea's population was estimated at 50 residents.[8]

The Berea Gospel Hall was built in 1929.

The Rock Island Railroad passed through nearby Anita and Adair, and it was for this reason that Berea began to decline. A school still operated at Berea in the 1930s,[9] 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".[10] By that time, Berea had only a general store, the closed school, and the Berea Gospel Hall.[10]

The population was 30 in 1940.[11]

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

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

Notes and References

  1. Book: Plat Book of Adair County, Iowa . Mid-West Map Publishers . 1951 . May 23, 2021 . May 23, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210523182526/http://www.historicmapworks.com/Map/US/1601314/Adair+County+Map/Adair+County+1951/Iowa/ . live .
  2. Book: Joseph Silas Diller . Topographic Development of the Klamath Mountains . U.S. Government Printing Office . 1902 . 41.
  3. Web site: Post Offices . Jim Forte Postal History . 11 January 2017 . December 21, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161221000947/http://www.postalhistory.com/postoffices.asp?state=IA . live .
  4. Book: Polk's Iowa State Gazetteer and Business Directory 1905-1906 . 1905 . R. L. Polk & Co. . 28th . XIII . Des Moines; Chicago; Detroit . 205 . May 21, 2021 . January 7, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240107094010/https://books.google.com/books?id=9sxOAQAAMAAJ&q=Berea#v=snippet&q=Berea&f=false . live .
  5. News: 1959-05-28 . Anita Remembers: Looking Back in the Tribune Files . 2 . The Anita Tribune.
  6. Book: Kilburn, Lucian Moody . History of Adair County, Iowa, and Its People . 1915 . Pioneer publishing Company . 978-1-58103-412-7 . en . December 15, 2021 . January 7, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240107094011/https://books.google.com/books?id=vFU0AQAAMAAJ&q=Berea . live .
  7. News: Celebration . 1916-08-31 . 5 . The Anita Record.
  8. Book: Iowa State Gazetteer and Business Directory . 1912 . R.L. Polk & Company . en . December 15, 2021 . January 7, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240107094011/https://books.google.com/books?id=UMtOAQAAMAAJ&dq=%2522berea%2522%252B%2522adair+county.%2522%252B%2522population%2522&pg=PA208#v=onepage&q&f=false . live .
  9. Book: Plat Book of Adair County, Iowa . 1930 . May 23, 2021 . May 23, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210523181050/https://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/islandora/object/ui%253Ahixson_25 . live .
  10. News: Cleaver . Geraldine . 1944-01-20 . Did You Know... Or Do You Remember? . Anita Tribune . June 2, 2021 . June 2, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210602214724/http://www.anitalibrary.org/archives/archives/Anita-Tribune/1940s/1944_Anita_Tribune.pdf . live .
  11. Book: The Attorneys List . United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company, Attorney List Department . 1940 . 293 . en . December 31, 2023 . November 3, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221103000157/https://books.google.com/books?id=ZTcjAQAAMAAJ . live .
  12. News: 1950-02-16 . Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Buy Berea Store . The Anita Tribune.
  13. Encyclopedia: 1960 . Iowa . World Book Encyclopedia . I . 304 Political Map.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Berea, Iowa".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.