Few men have enjoyed more success in both the railroad and coal mining inudstries than H.W. McNeill. Born June 18, 1847, in Peoria, Illinois, Hobart W. McNeill studied at the University of Virginia until the school was closed by the Confederacy. …
Samuel Allen Rice was the highest ranking officer in all of Iowa to be lost during the Civil War; being a Brigadier General at the time of his death. Rice was born in southern New York in 1828 and studied to become a lawyer. After graduating from…
Judge M.T. Williams can be credited for helping determine the official town name and Mahaska County seat of Oskaloosa in 1844. Moving from his native home state of Ohio, Williams came to Iowa in 1843 and set up a law practice located in Mt.…
This is a photo taken during the Civil War outside of the post office in Oskaloosa, Iowa. As one could imagine, mail was of the utmost important during the conflict, as soldiers depended on letters and packages from loved ones, and family members…
The west side of Oskaloosa's town square as it appeared 1942. The tower at the far end of the picture is the Central Methodist Church. The state bank appears at the near end of the photograph.
The west side of Oskaloosa's town square as it appeared during the Civil War (1861-1865). The white fence line stood as a place for townspeople to park their horse or carriage while they went about their day visiting the various establishments…
The southeast side of Oskaloosa's town square as it appeared in 1942. The building structures are still in tact today, despite having new ownership and extra features on the outside of the buildings.
The southeast side of Oskaloosa's town square as it appeared in 1868. At this point, the town post office existed on the square itself. Today, the post office is located on South Market Street.
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…
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,…
