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.
This is a still photograph taken of Manoah Hedge, who is credited for writing the first contemporary history of Mahaska County, Iowa. This history published was entitled; Past and Present of Mahaska County, Iowa. The book documented short, yet…
In this photograph poses an unknown non-commissioned Union soldier from Mahaska County, Iowa. Taken around 1861, the Civil War was the first American War in which much of the conflict was documented through photography. Officers and…
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…
Beacon, once known as the town of Enterprise, did not fully switch its name over until 1874. Beacon's success revolved around its coal mining connection and proximity to the railroad lines. Before Oskaloosa, the county seat of Mahaska County,…
Pictured here is the town square of Oskaloosa, Iowa as it appeared in the late 1800's. Note the number of wagons that have parked around the perimeter of the town square, as was common and highly encouraged, especially if the wagons had goods to…
This is a photograph taken of the town square in Oskaloosa, Iowa, in 1868, following the Civil War. This view of the square comes from the northeast looking west.
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 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…