Shellsburg, Iowa
16 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1888 and the latest in 1993. It stands in Canton Township. It lies in ZIP code area 52332. The Survey maps it on the Shellsburg quadrangle. 961 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 791 feet above sea level.
On record in Shellsburg
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 1 record
- Shellsburg Bridgelisted 1998
Population over time
2 figuresShellsburg fell from 983 to 961 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 983 | |
| 2020 | 961 | -22 (-2%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
11 surveys from 16 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1888 USGS Shellsburg quadrangle1:62500
- 1889 USGS Shellsburg quadrangle1:62500
- 1899 USGS Shellsburg quadrangle1:62500
- 1903 USGS Winthrop quadrangle1:125000, 2 printings
- 1959 USGS Dubuque quadrangle1:250000
- 1961 USGS Dubuque quadrangle1:250000
- 1962 USGS Dubuque quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1968 USGS Shellsburg quadrangle1:24000, 3 printings
- 1976 USGS Dubuque quadrangle1:250000
- 1984 USGS Anamosa quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
- 1993 USGS Shellsburg quadrangle1:24000
Fires near this place
13 since 2007Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 13 fires within 5 miles of Shellsburg between 2007 and 2016, burning about 18 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 8 |
| Debris and open burning | 5 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 August 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | 6671 LINN - BENTON RD., PALO, IA, IA |
| 16 April 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 15 April 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 12 April 2016 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | VINTON FIRE |
| 31 March 2015 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 21 March 2015 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 21 March 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 13 November 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | 3032 65TH ST. SHELLSBURG, IA, IA |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
6 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 6 workings within 5 miles of Shellsburg: 5 past producers, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Old Long Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Owens Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Palo Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
41 since 1997Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Shellsburg in 41 storm reports between 1997 and 2025: 18 hail, 18 thunderstorm wind, 2 funnel cloud, 2 tornado. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Shellsburg | $100,000 | Wind gusts estimated to be 80 mph completely destroyed a metal building and blew over several roofs in Shellsburg, IA at 521 am CDT July 11. |
| May 2004 | Hail | Shellsburg | $5,000 | A second thunderstorm developed on outflow boundaries from the earlier storms and produced a second round of 1 inch hail in Shellsburg. |
| May 2004 | Hail | Shellsburg | $5,000 | no account filed |
| October 2004 | Hail | Shellsburg | $3,000 | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Shellsburg | $1,000 | Tree down |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Shellsburg | - | Personal weather station. |
| July 2025 | Tornado (EF1) | Shellsburg | - | This tornado touched down in rural Benton County. The tornado was on the ground for about 0.8 miles in Benton County before moving into Linn County. The tornado caused mainly damage to trees. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Shellsburg | - | Report of estimated 60 MPH winds. |
| July 2021 | Tornado (EFU) | Shellsburg | - | Brief touchdown in a field with no visible damage. |
| June 2020 | Flood | Shellsburg | - | A public report of water running off the fields and onto the roads. |
| October 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Shellsburg | - | Local media relayed a report of a tree split and knocked over by thunderstorm winds. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Shellsburg | - | The public estimated 70 mph winds with quarter size hail. |
| April 2017 | Hail | Shellsburg | - | The time of the event was estimated using radar. |
| April 2017 | Hail | Shellsburg | - | A public report and photo was sent in via twitter. The time of the event was estimated using radar. |
| May 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Shellsburg | - | A trained spotter estimated wind gusts to 60 mph. |
| May 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Shellsburg | - | A spotter reported trees snapped off damaging a few mobile homes in a trailer park. |
| September 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Shellsburg | - | A trained spotter reported that 4 to 6 inch tree limbs were down in town. |
| March 2012 | Hail | Shellsburg | - | Quarter sized hail fell in Shellsburg at 917 pm CDT March 31. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Shellsburg | - | Wind gusts estimated to be 65 to 70 mph were observed 3 miles northwest of Shellsburg, IA at 730 pm CDT June 8. |
| June 2011 | Hail | Shellsburg | - | Quarter sized hail fell about 3 miles northwest of Shellsburg, IA at 730 pm CDT June 8. |
| June 2011 | Hail | Shellsburg | - | Quarter sized hail fell about 2 miles north of Shellsburg, IA at 734 pm CDT June 8. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Shellsburg | - | Wind gusts estimated to be 80 mph were observed 1 mile northwest of Shellsburg, IA around 515 am CDT July 11. |
| August 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Shellsburg | - | Wind gusts estimated to be 60 mph were observed about 2 miles north of Shellsburg, IA at 145 pm CDT August 13. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Shellsburg | - | Wind gusts were estimated to be 80 mph in Shellsburg, IA around 455 pm June 23. |
| July 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Shellsburg | - | A wind gust of 68 mph was measured. |
| August 2007 | Hail | Shellsburg | - | Hail the size of a penny fell just northeast of Newhall, IA. Some small branches were also blown down. Time estimated. |
| July 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Shellsburg | - | Winds estimated to be 60 mph blew down some corn fields. Time estimated. |
| June 2006 | Funnel Cloud | Shellsburg | - | near the golf course |
| July 2000 | Funnel Cloud | Shellsburg | - | Law enforcement reported a funnel cloud near Shellsburg. |
| March 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Shellsburg | - | no account filed |
| June 2015 | Hail | Shellsburg | - | no account filed |
| June 2015 | Hail | Shellsburg | - | no account filed |
| May 2013 | Hail | Shellsburg | - | no account filed |
| May 2013 | Hail | Shellsburg | - | no account filed |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Shellsburg | - | no account filed |
| June 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Shellsburg | - | no account filed |
| June 2007 | Hail | Shellsburg | - | no account filed |
| June 2007 | Hail | Shellsburg | - | no account filed |
| June 2002 | Hail | Shellsburg | - | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Hail | Shellsburg | - | no account filed |
| May 1997 | Hail | Shellsburg | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eden | 5.4 miles | 13 | |
| Benton City (historical) | 5.6 miles | 13 | |
| Atkins | 6.7 miles | 15 | |
| Country Aire Home Park | 6.8 miles | 15 | |
| Newhall | 8.6 miles | 13 | |
| Urbana | 9.0 miles | 14 | |
| Manatheka (historical) | 9.2 miles | 14 | |
| Vinton | 9.6 miles | 9 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Shellsburg | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1848297 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 461565. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
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.










