Pictured here is one of the earliest automobiles traveling west down 1st Avenue East in Oskaloosa, Iowa. 1st Avenue East was one of the first streets paved for automobile usage. Eventually, block after block would be paved in the community, but the…
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…
This is a picture taken of the surviving field and staff members from the 33rd Iowa Regiment during the Civil War. These men were part of the Grand Army of the Republic, which helped defeat the Confederacy in 1865. Situated at the top right of the…
This photograph was taken on September 17, 1913, where the surviving members from Iowa 33rd Regiment in the Grand Army of the Republic during the Civil War were honored for their service in a parade and reunion outside of the Mahaska County…
This photograph of a 1915 Ford Model T stuck in the middle of a flood in New Sharon, Iowa, depicts how vulnerable people are to the forces of nature. Even with advanced sewage systems and technology today, people just cannot compete with mother…
Dating from around 1900, this is a shot of a general store with its staff taking a moment to pose for the camera. General stores were very common in the early 1900's in rural communities like Oskaloosa, Iowa. In the center of the photograph is a…
When a stagecoach came through your town in the late 1800's it could have meant several things. First, the stagecoach might have been carrying a family on its way to settling down in the community or just to stop in the middle of their journey east…
This 1900 photograph taken of Oskaloosa, Iowa's famous town square and Mahaska County Courthouse from 1st Avenue East captures the organization and layout of Midwest towns of the period. Space was set aside at the town square so that horses and…
This is a picture taken at the A.M. Ellis Coal Mine in 1926. Today, the Oskaloosa golf course is located there. By this point, coal mining was just becoming more modernized, but was and still is a dangerous occupation.
This is a picture taken at the A.M. Ellis Coal Mine in 1930. Today, the Oskaloosa golf course is located there. By this point, coal mining was just becoming more modernized, but was and still is a dangerous occupation. Note the equipment being…
