In 1907, fire destroyed the surface equipment of the Numa Block mine, then the most productive mine in the county. The Numa Block shaft was 150 feet (46 m) deep, giving access to a 30-inch (760 mm) coal seam. The Numa Block Coal Company also owned mines in Seymour, (about 8 miles (13 km) to the west). In 1912, Local 875 of the United Mine Workers, based in Numa, had 392 members.
Peaked at 659 in 1910; 68 people lived here in 2020.
15 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Numa’s Wikipedia page.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Numa in 1878
Passages that mention Numa, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The history of Appanoose County, Iowa, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &c., a biographical directory of citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion, general and local statistics, portraits of early settlers and prom1878 · page 456Read the page →
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The town of Numa was laid out by G. R. Huston and E. E. Harvey, and acknowledged by them March 13, 1871. The surveying was done by J. F. Stratton February 1, 1871. The magnetic variation is 8° 15'. The plat is located on the west fractional half of the southwest fractional quarter of Section 18, Township 68, Range 18, and the original plat lies wholly north of the depot grounds of the Chicago & Southwestern Railroad.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of Appanoose County, Iowa, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &c., a biographical directory of citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion, general and local statistics, portraits of early settlers and prom1878 · page 459Read the page →
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In 1864, a stone building at Bellair was purchased and converted into a church, which was used till 1874, when the society proceeded to build a new house at Numa. This structure cost about $650 and was dedicated in 1874. The Stewards and Trustees are Jacob Norris, Henry Blackburn and W. W. Elliott.
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
Numa, 1857 to 1939
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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 (2), Wikipedia, 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 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.
2024
2004
