The Roop, Harbour, and Co. Steam Flour Mill and Distillery, more commonly known as the Benny Roop Distillery, opened officially in 1852 for business and is the oldest known distillery in all of Mahaska County, Iowa. This is a picture of the facility…
This is a picture taken at Sam Smith Coal Mine back in 1895. The Sam Smith coal mine was located southwest of Oskaloosa College, which today is on the 1300 block of High Avenue West. Today, many buildings and facilities in Oskaloosa were once the…
This is a picture taken at Sam Smith Coal Mine back in 1895. The Sam Smith coal mine was located southwest of Oskaloosa College, which today is on the 1300 block of High Avenue West. Today, many buildings and facilities in Oskaloosa were once the…
This is a photograph taken of Samuel H.M. Byers at the onset of the Civil War in 1861. Byers served in the Union Army during the Civil War and gained a great deal of inspiration for his poetic writing during the war. Byers's most famous work is a…
This is how the north side of High Avenue appeared between North 2nd and 3rd Streets in the 1930's, Oskaloosa, Iowa. Note the old cars situated in the photograph and the tire store in business there at the time.
This is a photograph taken of the Seeberger-Loring-Kilburn house, located at 509 High Avenue East. Many of the historic homes in Oskaloosa can be found along High Avenue, Market Street, and 1st Avenue East today.
Socializing in and around the Oskaloosa town square was a very familiar sight in the early 1900's. What is fascinating about this photograph is not the two women mingling, but rather the display of various modes of transportation in it. On the left…
The south half of the east side of Oskaloosa's town square as it appeared in 1868. The trees you see in this photograph are located in the middle of the town square today, providing an excellent source of shade for people as they attend concerts,…
The south half of the east side of Oskaloosa's town square as it appeared in 1942. The most notable change between this picture and the one from 1868 is that regarding the hotel name. In 1856, Major F.L. Downing owned the establishment since 1856…
Here is a scene of the hustle and bustle taking place in downtown Oskaloosa, Iowa, circa 1895. Specifically, the view here is of South Market Street from High Avenue; the two busiest streets in all of Oskaloosa.
