During pioneer days in the Midwest, women held very important responsibilities to see to it that her spouse and children were cared for. The phrase, a woman's work is never done, certainly holds true, especially during this time period. In this…
This image depicts one of the earliest banks formed in Mahaska County; the First National Bank. The bank was situated in downtown Oskaloosa on Market Street.
Religion has always played a very important role in Mahaska County, Iowa. One of the credits to the county has been its people's tolerance for others to worship freely without fear. This photograph depicts the First Presbyterian Church in…
This is a picture of George H. Ramsey, Superintendent of the Carbonado coal mining operation back in 1896. Ramsey also was a developer in the field of coal mining during the time. Coal mining was a lucrative business to be involved with if an ample…
This is a picture taken at the Givin coal mines in East Des Moines Township, Iowa, in the late 1800's. Many communities, like Givin, have little or no presence in Mahaska County today. Once the coal industry diminished, the people in communities…
In 1876,Webster School was erected to serve the children residing in the Fourth Ward of Oskaloosa. This is a photograph taken of the school in 1896, at which time the building principal was A.L. Comstock. Teachers serving the school at this time…
This is a photograph taken of the McNeill home in the late 1880's. The home was located on Park Place on the northeast side of Oskaloosa. The home burned down in May 0f 1924. At the time it burned down, the McNeill home was one of the finest homes in…
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. …
Few men have enjoyed more success in both the railroad and coal mining industries 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. …
This photograph gives an inside look of a coal mine in 1896, Oskaloosa, Iowa. Coal mines were unsafe and unhealthy places to work. Many men developed a disease known as the black lung, which ultimately led to a coal miner's death.
