James Nelson was the youngest son of revered farmer and pioneer, Daniel Nelson, of Oskaloosa, Iowa, in Mahaska County. James endured many of the same hardships as his father when first coming to Iowa, helping his father with chores associated with…
Martha Jane Nelson was the only daughter of revered farmer and pioneer, Daniel Nelson, of Oskaloosa, Iowa, in Mahaska County. Martha Jane endured many of the same hardships as her mother and father when first coming to Iowa in 1844, helping with…
One of the advantages to building a farm around a thick of timberland is the wild game that is found within it. The Nelson family kept the wooded area by their log cabin and eventual brick home for this purpose. Pictured here is the thicket of…
The old wooden bandstand was built back in 1882 so that performers like C.L. Barnhouse's Iowa Brigade Band could entertain spectators from around the county. The bandstand was originally built to cover the cap underneath that came about as a result…
Built in 1870, the old Oskaloosa High School consisted of eleven classrooms and housed 525 students. The first two floors held high school classes, but the third floor of the high school actually was the home of Jefferson Elementary School students.…
Completed in 1897, the second Oskaloosa High School was located at the corner of B Avenue and North First Street, which was only two blocks from the town square. The new high school was built on a bond valued at $30,000. Later, the high school was…
Oskaloosa College, not to be confused with Penn College which is also located in Oskaloosa, was the first college to open in Mahaska County in 1861. George T. Carpenter served as Oskaloosa College's first president. The college was never…
This is a commencement program that was distributed to guests attending the twenty-first graduation ceremony of Oskaloosa College's class of 1883. The program lists different speeches and musical performances throughout the morning and afternoon. …
This is a map dating to 1890 that shows the importance and extent to which the railroad serviced Mahaska County the later half of the 19th Century. Key railway lines that came through Mahaska County and more importantly the county seat of Oskaloosa…
On September 16, 1899, a horrific train wreck happened in Tioga, White Oak Township, Mahaska County, Iowa. This happened when a passenger train coming from Belle Plaine crashed directly into a freight train in Tioga. Four passenger train workers…
