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 established a railroad line through its…
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…
Pictured here is the Westside of the Oskaloosa town square as it appeared in the late 1800's. The Westside of the square was located on South Market Street. The city park was located just across the street, which is where many of the town's…
This is a picture of the Oskaloosa town square/city park during the 1920's. The gathering of so many at the city park could have been for a number of reasons, but the clues in this image indicate that it was a gathering for political purposes or to…
Pictured here are a couple of strollers making their way through the Oskaloosa town square, also known as the city park. For many, the sidewalks cut through the city park served as a shortcut to get home or to another business located diagonally…
Pictured here is the Westside of the Oskaloosa town square as it appeared in the late 1800's. The Westside of the square was located on South Market Street. The city park was located just across the street, which is where many of the town's…
The primary means of transportation for police officers in Oskaloosa in the early 1900's was by foot or horseback. Pictured here are three Oskaloosa police officers on patrol via horseback around 1910. Note the building construction taking place in…
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…
