BlockFrom the record
26 National Register listings published here, 1 of them a National Historic Landmark.
Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service
Poweshiek County, Iowa
18 topographic sheets cover 18 settlements here, and 26 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.
Research this county
What the record shows
- 144 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
- 26 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 20 buildings, 5 districts and 1 site.
- 10 of the 26 listings were added during the 1970s.
- The Geographic Names Information System records 18 populated places in this county; 18 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.
Places on the National Register
26Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.
Wildfire, 2005 to 2020
85 firesEvery wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 85 of them, burning about 794 acres. None started naturally and 2 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 52 |
| Debris and open burning | 26 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 2 |
| Smoking | 2 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 2 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 1 |
The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 May 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 20 March 2014 | Debris and open burning | 80 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 8 May 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 55 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 11 April 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 7 April 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 45 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 4 April 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 17 March 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 14 February 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 32 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.
Storms, 1953 to 2025
60 of 374 shownThe NOAA Storm Events Database holds 374 reports for this county, causing 5 deaths, 60 injuries and about $20,363,200 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.
| Kind of event | Reports |
|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 145 |
| Hail | 93 |
| Heavy Rain | 66 |
| Tornado | 35 |
| Flash Flood | 11 |
| Flood | 10 |
| Funnel Cloud | 10 |
| Lightning | 4 |
The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 1978 | Tornado (F3) | not stated | 4 killed, 43 hurt, $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| August 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Malcolm | 1 killed | Law enforcement reported a large tree fell on a home. |
| August 1956 | Tornado (F3) | not stated | 8 hurt, $25,000 | no account filed |
| April 2010 | Hail | Grinnell | 6 hurt, $500,000 | no account filed |
| June 1978 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | 1 hurt, $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| May 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | 1 hurt, $150,000 | no account filed |
| May 2019 | Tornado (EF1) | Montezuma East Arpt | 1 hurt, $10,000 | Tornado extended to the ground after several minutes as a funnel cloud. Upon reaching the ground, the tornado encountered a farmstead, destroying an old barn and producing tree damage. Another farmstead was hit a bit further down the path with a large hoop building damaged. The remainder of the path was in open farmland. |
| April 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $3,000,000 | On the north edge of Grinnell, cars were reported off the road and flipped. Power lines were down and roofs were blown off homes. |
| September 2007 | Tornado (EF2) | Searsboro | $2,500,000 | Tornado moved into Poweshiek County from Jasper County. It lifted west of Malcom.| |
| May 1988 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| June 2010 | Lightning | Grinnell | $550,000 | no account filed |
| May 2013 | Flood | Forest Home | $250,000 | Numerous road closings due to flooding throughout Poweshiek County including 400th Ave west of Grinnell and several roads in the Searsboro and Montezuma area. |
| September 2007 | Tornado (EF1) | Malcolm | $250,000 | The second tornado touched down northwest of Malcom. This tornado was on the ground for about 5 miles before lifting north of town. |
| June 1969 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| April 1966 | Tornado (F3) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| April 1965 | Tornado | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| April 1965 | Tornado | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| April 1965 | Tornado | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| April 1965 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Montezuma | $200,000 | no account filed |
| September 2018 | Flood | Hartwick | $150,000 | Emergency management reported widespread road closures due to flooding or being washed out across much of the county. |
| May 2013 | Flash Flood | Malcolm | $150,000 | Bridge washed out on Highway 63 north of Montezuma. |
| May 2013 | Flash Flood | Grinnell Arpt | $150,000 | Bridge washed out along 390th Ave near 70th St block just west of Malcom. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brooklyn | $150,000 | no account filed |
| December 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell Arpt | $100,000 | Iowa DOT reported 2 semis overturned on Interstate 80 WB near the 185 to 186 mile markers. Just east of Grinnell. |
| October 2018 | Flood | Grinnell | $100,000 | Emergency manager reported water over a few gravel roads near Grinnell north of Interstate 80 and other county roads closed near Searsboro due to flooding. |
| September 2018 | Flash Flood | Tilton | $100,000 | Emergency manager reported several county roads under water, with one state highway closed due to flooding. Several basements were also reported flooding. This is a delayed report. |
| May 2013 | Flash Flood | Grinnell | $100,000 | Roads in the city covered with water and impassible. |
| April 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $100,000 | Two barns were blown down just west of Grinnell. |
| April 2008 | Tornado (EF1) | Deep River | $100,000 | A farmstead had 2 barns blown down. The farmstead had portions of the roof peeled off with siding torn off and windows blown out. |
| June 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brooklyn | $75,000 | Many trees and tree limbs down across the city. Some trees on roofs. |
| April 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $75,000 | Damage was caused to several homes in Grinnell. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hartwick | $75,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brooklyn | $75,000 | no account filed |
| May 2023 | Hail | Grinnell Arpt | $50,000 | Spotter reported strong winds with potential damage and large hail with wide range of sizes. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell Arpt | $50,000 | Law enforcement reported house, barn and outbuildings heavily damaged by winds. Multiple trees were also reported downed. Time estimated from radar. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $50,000 | Emergency manager reported damage to utility poles, power lines down including high voltage lines, and debris throughout the city blocking streets. Time estimated from AWOS gusts. |
| September 2018 | Flood | Grinnell | $50,000 | Law enforcement reported several county and rural roads across the county were under water from the heavy rainfall. |
| September 2018 | Flash Flood | Sheridan | $50,000 | Local dispatch reported a gravel road washed out along 120th St between 310th and 320th St. |
| August 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $50,000 | Local newspaper reported at least 15 to 20 trees down across the northern side of Grinnell, some 3 to 4 feet in diameter. Multiple trees fell and damaged building and house roofs. At least 12000 people without power in the area. Delayed report, and time estimated from radar. |
| April 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $50,000 | Damage to outbuildings and a trailer was caused by high thunderstorm winds. |
| June 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Searsboro | $50,000 | Barn destroyed by high winds. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $50,000 | Trees down, transformers down, and power outages. |
| July 2010 | Flash Flood | Brooklyn | $50,000 | Three feet of standing water was observed in yards, with 2.5 feet of flowing water in another yard along the side of a shed. Ten inches of flowing water was flowing down the alley. Three and one half inches of rain fell in a short time. |
| April 2008 | Tornado (EF0) | Carnforth | $50,000 | Damage to a home and outbuildings. Trees were uprooted and road signs pulled out of the ground. Damage path was about 2 miles long. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $50,000 | Numerous tree limbs down across town and the power was out. |
| June 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brooklyn | $50,000 | no account filed |
| June 2007 | Flash Flood | Hartwick | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 2003 | Hail | Grinnell | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 2003 | Hail | Grinnell Arpt | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 2003 | Hail | Grinnell | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 2003 | Hail | Grinnell | $50,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Flood | Grinnell | $50,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Montezuma | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Flood | Montezuma | $50,000 | no account filed |
| April 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Malcom | $50,000 | no account filed |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell | $40,000 | The roof was blown off of the Farm Bureau Service building in Grinnell. |
| April 2002 | Hail | Brooklyn | $40,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Montezuma | $40,000 | no account filed |
| June 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grinnell Arpt | $35,000 | Measured wind by an Iowa DOT RWIS site on Interstate 80. A semi-tractortrailer truck was reportedly jackknifed in the area. |
Mines and quarries
4 recordedThe Survey's mineral resources record lists 4 workings inside this county. 2 still produce and 2 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.
| Commodity | Workings |
|---|---|
| Stone, Crushed/Broken | 2 |
| Sand and Gravel, Construction | 2 |
The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gilbraeth Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Malcolm Stone Co. Mine | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| New Sharon Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Every populated place in the county
18Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.
-
Brownsville
Jackson township · 50171 · Montezuma quadrangle
8 sheets, 1954 to 1984
No longer a settlement
-
Stillwell
Sugar Creek township · 50242 · On English Creek · Searsboro quadrangle
8 sheets, 1954 to 1984
The vanished settlements of Poweshiek County: the places named above that are no longer on the map.
Provenance
- Topographic sheets. USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, county index, measured from the bulk metadata.
- Fire insurance maps. Library of Congress Sanborn collection, faceted to this county.
- Photographs. Each place queried individually against the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs search.
- Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
- Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
- Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.