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.…
This is a photograph of the H.L. Spencer and Company basement stockroom that was taken in the 1890's. Harry Lindley (H.L.) Spencer started a grocery business in 1867 with F.J. Terry in Oskaloosa, Iowa. Over the years the business gained much…
This is a photograph of the H.L. Spencer and Company loading shed that was taken in the 1890's. Harry Lindley (H.L.) Spencer started a grocery business in 1867 with F.J. Terry in Oskaloosa, Iowa. Over the years the business gained much success and…
Small business and entrepreneurship were the hopes and dreams of many Americans, especially in the late 19th Century. Store owners took pride in the fact that they were able to build up enough in savings to start a business venture. Pictured here…
When a stagecoach came through your town in the late 1800's it could have meant several things. First, the stagecoach might have been carrying a family on its way to settling down in the community or just to stop in the middle of their journey east…
This is a photograph of the H.L. Spencer and Company building that was taken in 1908. Harry Lindley (H.L.) Spencer started a grocery business in 1867 with F.J. Terry in Oskaloosa, Iowa. Over the years the business gained much success and Spencer…