Beacon, once known as the town of Enterprise, did not fully switch its name over until 1874. Beacon's success revolved around its coal mining connection and proximity to the railroad lines. Before Oskaloosa, the county seat of Mahaska County,…
Pictured here is a scene from downtown Oskaloosa, Iowa on South Market Street looking north around the year 1905. At the time of this picture, most of the road had been paved and had brick laid to serve as the road, but the horse and buggy are still…
This was a photograph taken after the Bennett-Loughridge house fire on May 23, 1909, of fire horses Doris and Coly with driver Elmert Patterson, captain of the Oskaloosa Fire Department. Also riding in the picture is John Starlin, one of the town's…
Dating from around 1900, this is a shot of a general store with its staff taking a moment to pose for the camera. General stores were very common in the early 1900's in rural communities like Oskaloosa, Iowa. In the center of the photograph is a…
Pictured here is an image of Market Street in downtown Oskaloosa, Iowa. Market Street was one of two main streets that go through the town; the other being A Avenue, also known as Route 92. Market Street continues to serve the downtown Oskaloosa…
This was a picture taken from the 2000 block of High Avenue East in downtown Oskaloosa, Iowa, circa 1900. The store in the right corner of the photograph is Huber and Sons. All other stores/buildings in the photograph are actually on South Market…
Pictured here is the town square of Oskaloosa, Iowa as it appeared in the late 1800's. Note the number of wagons that have parked around the perimeter of the town square, as was common and highly encouraged, especially if the wagons had goods to…
Pictured here is the 1907 Oskaloosa baseball team from Oskaloosa, Iowa. Based on the excerpt under the photograph of the players, the team was facing a serious financial crisis in 1907, looking at a team debt of $2,800.00. In order to raise funds…
Billiards was known as a gentleman's game throughout American and European society in the 19th Century, although the game became popular in Great Britain around 1770, eventually making its way to America predominantly in the early 19th Century. As…
This image captures Oskaloosa, Iowa at a point before the automobile came full circle to the community and after the horse and buggy started becoming a thing of the past. The trolley served as the halfway point in between these two methods of…
