Grinnell dates to 1854, and 29% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 84% of U.S. towns · #34 of 140 in Iowa. What drives it
17 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Merchants' National Bank, a National Historic Landmark, and three historic districts with 280 buildings between them. Below: 7 old photos and papers, maps from 1883 on, and the census since 1860.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1856.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Grinnell’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Grinnell is more historic than 84% of U.S. towns, #34 of 140 in Iowa. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Grinnell’s overall grade.
Iowa towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Iowa town has 9.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Grinnell’s 314 sits above most of its state (97% of Iowa towns have fewer) while its 298 historic buildings outnumber those of 95% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.6 points). Two sources give 1854.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Grinnell’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Every building
Grinnell, building by building, 1883–1922
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
Grinnell was founded by settlers from New England who were descended from English Puritans of the 1600s. Grinnell was founded in 1854 by four men: Josiah B. Grinnell, a Congregationalist from Vermont; Homer Hamlin, a minister; Henry Hamilton, a surveyor; and Dr. Thomas Holyoke. The city was to be named "Stella", but J. B. Grinnell convinced the others to adopt his name, describing it as rare and concise. Grinnell was incorporated on April 28, 1865, and by 1880, Grinnell had a population of around 2,000. Located at the junction of two railway lines (east–west line of the Rock Island Railroad and the north–south Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway), it is the largest community in Poweshiek County.
Passages that mention Grinnell, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Semi-centennial of the founding of Grinnell, 1854-19041904Read the page →
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The Chicago Rock Island and Racitic Railroad, the legal successor of the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad, is. now in 1904, operated along the line 1 pointed out to Mr. Dey and the route 1 pointed out settled beyond question that the town of Grinnell would secure the railroad. In January 1859 a meeting was called to assemble at Hddyville, in Wapello county, to organize a railroad company to build a railroad from that town to Cedar Rapids. Seeing the call for a meet-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Semi-centennial of the founding of Grinnell, 1854-19041904Read the page →
Read the text
Having decided to locate the colony at the place where the City of Grinnell now stands my slight experience in railroading made me anxious about a deep cut more than a mile long that would be necessary in building the railrad through the town plat of Grinnell on the location that had been determined by the engineers the best that could be found. We began to hear unpleasant reports that this very objectionable deep cut could be avoided by a route further south that would leave our colony six miles away from a railroad.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Poweshiek County, Iowa1911 · page 28Read the page →
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as a musician until the close of the Rebellion. He acquitted himself so creditably that he was placed in charge of a hospital in Tennessee after the war was over and having discharged this duty came to Iowa with his family in 1869 and for several years worked at the blacksmith's trade at Grinnell. Later he became connected with the Iowa Central Railroad at Grinnell as baggage agent and was also employed in the postoffice at Grinnell. He died June 6, 1908, but his wife is still living at Grinnell. Politically he gave his support to the republican party and fraternally was a valued member of the Masonic order and the Grand Army of
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Early history of Grinnell, Iowa, 1854-18741916Read the page →
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an adjourned meeting in August tlie sale of tlje college grounds at Davenport to Hisliop Lee and olhers was confirmed, and tlie articles of incorporation so amended as to make Grinnell the seat of the college. This was the last meeting of ti'ustees at Davenport, the next being held at Grinnell (the annual meeting July, 1860), the surrender of the Grinnell property and the removal being then complete, lion. Thos.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Grinnell, 1854 to 1979
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1854, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Grinnell’s post office opened in 1856, and the census of 1860 counted 392 people here.
How does Grinnell rank for history?
Grinnell is more historic than 84% of U.S. towns, #34 of 140 in Iowa. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Grinnell?
17 listings: 14 buildings, among them the Merchants' National Bank (a National Historic Landmark since 1976), 3 historic districts, the Grinnell Historic Commercial District, the North Grinnell Historic District and the Grinnell Historic District, with 280 contributing buildings, and 1 site. 298 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Grinnell?
29% of Grinnell’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.6 points), against a typical 22% for an Iowa town; the median home was built in 1971.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (6), the Library of Congress (2), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (18), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
★ Landmark
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