Swedesburg, Iowa

Swedesburg is an unincorporated community in northern Henry County, Iowa, United States.

Swedesburg, Iowa
Unincorporated community
Swedesburg, Iowa
Swedesburg
Swedesburg
Coordinates: 41°6′19″N 91°32′50″W
CountryUnited States
StateIowa
CountyHenry
Elevation
732 ft (223 m)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes
52652
GNIS feature ID462147

Location

The elevation of Swedesburg is 732 feet (223 m).[1] Although Swedesburg is unincorporated, it has a post office with the ZIP code of 52652.[2]

History

Swedesburg was originally built up chiefly by Swedish immigrants.[3] They first arrived in the region in the 1860s after a wave of migration to the nearby Jefferson County in the 1840s.[4]

Swedesburg had a population of 86 in 2000.

Attractions and landmarks

Swedesburg has a museum, the Swedish American Museum, which commemorates the community's Swedish heritage. It is housed in the former Farmers Union Exchange Building, a structure which dates from the 1920s.[5][6]

The following buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places:

Education

The Mount Pleasant Community School District operates local area public schools.[7]

Access

Swedesburg lies along the concurrent U.S. Route 218 and Iowa Highway 27.[8] Its elevation is 732 feet (223 m).[1] The nearest rail connection is at the county seat of Mount Pleasant, approximately ten miles to the south.

Literature

The author Bill Bryson mentions Swedesburg in his 2006 memoir, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid. Bryson recalls seeing Swedesburg from a distance whilst visiting his grandparents in nearby Winfield in the 1950s, and reflects how the heritages of settlements such as Swedesburg were affected by the policies of Governor William L. Harding, which resulted in the decline of European languages in the state.[9]

References
  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Swedesburg, Iowa
  2. "Free ZIP Code Lookup with area code, county, geocode, MSA/PMSA, population". www.zipinfo.com.
  3. The History of Henry County, Iowa: Containing a History of the County, Its Cities, Towns, &c. Western Historical Company. 1879. pp. 552.
  4. Sood, Kiran. "Iowa All Over: Preserving Swedish History in Swedesburg". The Gazette.
  5. "View Museum Info". www.museumsusa.org.
  6. Brian E. Clark (2017-01-27). "Swedesburg, Iowa, museum a trove of pioneer artifacts". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 2020-07-01.
  7. "Mount Pleasant" (PDF). Iowa Department of Education. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
  8. Rand McNally. The Road Atlas '08. Chicago: Rand McNally, 2008, p. 39.
  9. Bryson, B. The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, Doubleday, pp.209-210, ISBN 978-0-385-60826-8




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