Berea, Iowa
Unincorporated community
Berea, Iowa is located in Iowa
Berea, Iowa
Berea, Iowa
Coordinates: 41°22′27″N 94°40′49″W / 41.37417°N 94.68028°W / 41.37417; -94.68028
CountryUnited States
StateIowa
CountyAdair
Elevation
1,306 ft (398 m)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code641
GNIS feature ID464460[1]

Berea was an unincorporated community in Eureka Township, Adair County, Iowa, United States.[1]

History

Berea was located in western Adair County.

Berea was founded along the banks of the Middle Nodaway River;[2] it was named after the Ancient Greek city of Berea.[3] The community was founded by Ned Brown and Alexander Broadfoot, who were early settlers, and its peak population was around 100 residents.[4]

A post office called Berea was established in 1894, and remained in operation until 1908.[5] In 1905, the community was reported to have a population of 40, with a general store, a pharmacist, a creamery, a blacksmith and a wagonmaker.[6] The Berea Store was built in June 1909, replacing an earlier store which had been destroyed by fire.[7]

In 1915, Berea was described as a village, with the Berea Horse Company being a noted business, owned by brothers Isaac Brown and A.R. Brown.[8] At that time, Berea had a town band which performed at community events.[9] Around that time, Berea's population was estimated at 50 residents.[10]

The Berea Gospel Hall was built in 1929.[4]

The Rock Island Railroad passed through nearby Anita and Adair, and it was for this reason that Berea began to decline.[4] A school still operated at Berea in the 1930s,[11] but most other services had closed by this time. In 1936, the Berea School closed due to lack of pupils, and by the 1940s, the community was called a "ghost village".[4] By that time, Berea had only a general store, the closed school, and the Berea Gospel Hall.[4]

The population was 30 in 1940.[12]

The Berea Store was purchased by the Arnold family in 1950.[13]

Berea still appeared on state maps as late as 1960.[14]

References

  1. 1 2 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Berea, Iowa
  2. ↑ Plat Book of Adair County, Iowa. Mid-West Map Publishers. 1951. Archived from the original on May 23, 2021. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  3. ↑ Joseph Silas Diller (1902). Topographic Development of the Klamath Mountains. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 41.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Cleaver, Geraldine (January 20, 1944). "Did You Know... Or Do You Remember?" (PDF). Anita Tribune. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Post Offices". Jim Forte Postal History. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  6. ↑ Polk's Iowa State Gazetteer and Business Directory 1905-1906. Vol. XIII (28th ed.). Des Moines; Chicago; Detroit: R. L. Polk & Co. 1905. p. 205. Archived from the original on January 7, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Anita Remembers: Looking Back in the Tribune Files". The Anita Tribune. May 28, 1959. p. 2.
  8. ↑ Kilburn, Lucian Moody (1915). History of Adair County, Iowa, and Its People. Pioneer publishing Company. ISBN 978-1-58103-412-7. Archived from the original on January 7, 2024. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Celebration". The Anita Record. August 31, 1916. p. 5.
  10. ↑ Iowa State Gazetteer and Business Directory. R.L. Polk & Company. 1912. Archived from the original on January 7, 2024. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  11. ↑ Plat Book of Adair County, Iowa. 1930. Archived from the original on May 23, 2021. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  12. ↑ The Attorneys List. United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company, Attorney List Department. 1940. p. 293. Archived from the original on November 3, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Buy Berea Store". The Anita Tribune. February 16, 1950.
  14. ↑ "Iowa". World Book Encyclopedia. Vol. I. 1960. p. 304 Political Map.


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