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 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 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 north side of Oskaloosa's town square as it appeared in 1942. By this point, buildings had been modernized and one could begin to capture the real essence of life around a town square.
The north half of the east side of Oskaloosa's town square as it appeared in 1942. By this point, roads had been paved and the Mahaska County courthouse had taken the place of the once established grocery and clothing stores.
This is a picture taken outside of the Oskaloosa Public Library of boy scouts involved in a kids reading crusade circa 1950. The scouts would go out and try to get other kids interested and involved in reading.
This is a picture taken of the Oskaloosa Public Library's circulation desk in 1940. At this point, a new ceiling and new lights were added to this section of the library.
This is a photograph taken of Elizabeth Michener, one of the first head librarians of the Oskaloosa Public Library, along with Winnifred Parcell and Martha Moore. Ms. Michener dedicated much of her time and energy to the well-being of the public…
