Forestville, Iowa Explained

Official Name:Forestville, Iowa
Pushpin Map:Iowa
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Iowa
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Delaware
Timezone:Central (CST)
Utc Offset:-6
Timezone Dst:CDT
Utc Offset Dst:-5
Elevation Ft:1017
Coordinates:42.5967°N -91.5286°W
Area Code:563
Blank Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank Info:464549

Forestville is an unincorporated community in Richland Township, Delaware County, Iowa, United States. The community was named after the forest in adjacent Backbone State Park, and lies two miles northeast of Dundee.

History

The first settler was William Turner, who built a sawmill in 1847; this sawmill was destroyed in a flood but was replaced with a new mill in 1851. Turner opened a store in 1850.

Forestville was platted in April 1854 in Section 22 of Richland Township by surveyor Joel Bailey for landowner Daniel Leonard. Although the plat occurred in 1854, the recording occurred on July 15, 1856.[1]

In 1852, Charles Hall opened a tavern. That same year, a log cabin school was built; this building was replaced by a wooden frame school in 1854. In 1853, a grist mill was built near the sawmill. Hiram Wood established a creamery near Forestville in 1874, one of four in Richland Township.[1]

In 1872, the Forestville School District was formed.[1] By 1887, the community's population was 180.[2]

The community's population declined over the years. In 1902, Forestville's population was 44,[3] and a 1914 history of Delaware County stated that by that time, only around 50 residents lived in Forestville.[1]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Merry, John F. . History of Delaware County, Iowa, and Its People . 1914 . 264–265 . S. J. Clarke publishing Company . en.
  2. Book: Cram, George Franklin . Cram's Universal Atlas: Geographical, Astronomical and Historical, Containing a Complete Series of Maps of Modern Geography, Illustrated by Numerous Views and Charts ; the Whole Supplemented with Valuable Statistics, Diagrams, and a Complete Gazetteer of the United States . 1887 . G.F. Cram . 367–369 . en.
  3. Book: Cram's Modern Atlas: The New Unrivaled New Census Edition . 1902 . J. R. Gray & Company . 203–207 . en.