This 1900 photograph taken of Oskaloosa, Iowa's famous town square and Mahaska County Courthouse from 1st Avenue East captures the organization and layout of Midwest towns of the period. Space was set aside at the town square so that horses and…
The concept of small business was very prevalent throughout Oskaloosa, Iowa, at the turn of the 20th Century. In this photograph, staff from a chocolate store in town posed for the camera. What stands out significantly in the photograph is the…
This image captures children riding their bikes through the downtown square in Oskaloosa, Iowa, around 1915. The streets have brick pavement in this photograph, but there are no automobiles present, illustrating the fact that few residents in…
This is a photograph of gentleman enjoying a drink after playing eighteen holes of golf at the Elmhurst Country Club in Oskaloosa, Iowa. The course and country club opened in 1928 and was in business until 2008, when it closed its doors, but was…
The Elmhurst Country Club in Oskaloosa, Iowa opened in 1928. Many luncheons and banquets were held there until the country club closed in 2008 and was reopened in 2008 as Oskaloosa Golf. Seated in the middle of the photograph is C.L. Barnhouse,…
Historically, The Hub serves as a wonderful example of American small business at the turn of the 20th Century. Location was the key to American small business success and The Hub definitely had this quality, as it was situated in downtown Oskaloosa…
Pictured here is the southside of the Oskaloosa town square as it appeared around 1900. The southside of the square is bordered by 1st Avenue East, which runs perpendicular with South Market Street. As Oskaloosa entered the 20th Century, its roads…
This photograph depicts a scene from the 1912 Labor Day parade in downtown Oskaloosa, Iowa. In this image, the participants of the parade are marching down High Ave West. The citizens of Oskaloosa deeply respected all who worked and the workers…
Pictured here in this photograph is work being done in order to pave Oskaloosa, Iowa's first modern day road for automobile use. Prior to this, the horse and buggy were the common method of transportation used in the community, as it was across all…
This is a drawing of the H.L. Spencer Memorial Chapel. Harry Lindley (H.L.) Spencer served in the Civil War in the 9th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry. After the war, Spencer moved to Oskaloosa, Iowa, where he started a grocery business in 1867 with F.J.…