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Dow City, IAPhoto: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0
–Not graded
History · Dow City

Dow City’s post office opened in 1878, and 24% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Dow House.

1878first post office
1on the National Register
24%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Dow City began

When was Dow City founded?

1878

The Dow City post office opened in 1878, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Crawford (1868) and Dowville (1872), opened inside today’s city and later closed.

2020 census: 485148 years
Founding year: the first Dow City post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Dow City’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Dow City are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Dow City.Old housesHalf of Dow City’s homes were built before 1961.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Dow City’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Dow City’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Dow City’s post office has been open since 1878. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Crawford
1868–1872
Dowville
1872–1878
Dow City
1878–today
18601940today

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

The story

How Dow City came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Dow City.

Read it all →

Judge S. E. Dow settled at what is now Dow City in 1855. In 1869, he laid out the town in anticipation of the railroad being built through the settlement. The railroad depot was built in 1870.

Dow City is the location of the historic Dow House, which was built in 1872.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Dow City, 1868 to 1935

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1868Post officeThe Crawford post office opens
  3. 1872Post officeThe Crawford post office closes
  4. 1872Post officeThe Dowville post office opens
  5. 1877Born hereClarion Hardy is born here
  6. 1878Post officeThe Dowville post office closes
  7. 1878Post officeThe Dow City post office opens
  8. 20th century
  9. 1935Born hereJames W. Griffin is born here
By decade

Dow City, decade by decade

Today5 recent
Dow CityIowaPopPlot2021Dow CityIowaPopPlotDow City, IA2018Dow City, IAAerial 6km NW of Dow City, Iowa 01A2012Aerial 6km NW of Dow City, Iowa 01AAerial 6km NW of Dow City, Iowa 012012Aerial 6km NW of Dow City, Iowa 01IAMap-doton-DowCity2004IAMap-doton-DowCity
On the National Register

1 historic place in Dow City

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1972
Dow House
Dow House
Buildings
Dow HouseBuilding

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Dow City

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
J
James W. GriffinAmerican politician · b. 1935
C
Clarion HardyAmerican football and baseball coach · b. 1877

Questions about Dow City’s history

What year was Dow City founded?

The Dow City post office opened in 1878, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Dow City?

One place: the Dow House (listed 1972).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (5), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.