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History · Parnell

Parnell dates to 1884, and 27% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1968 on and the census since 1900.

1884founded
0on the National Register
27%homes built before 1940
2famous people
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Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Parnell began

When was Parnell founded?

1884

Parnell dates its founding to 1884 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1900.

First census: 318 in 19002020 census: 194142 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1884.The full story ↓

What stands out about Parnell’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 Parnell are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 369 in 1910; 194 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Parnell’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Parnell’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
People over time

Parnell, census by census

01002003004001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 369

Peaked at 369 in 1910; 194 people lived here in 2020.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Parnell’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How Parnell came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Parnell.

Read it all →

Parnell, in Fillmore Township, Iowa County, Iowa, was named after Charles Stewart Parnell, a noble Irish statesman who had come to the American people to plead the cause of Ireland's land-impoverished peasants.

The Milwaukee Railroad helped to create Parnell. In 1884, the people of the little Irish town of Lytle City moved residences, stores, buildings, and families three miles west to where the railroad was beginning.

The people of Lytle City, who were mostly members of the Catholic Church, then became residents of Parnell. The town was incorporated on March 24, 1891, with a population of 156.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Parnell, 1884 to 1968

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1884
    FoundingParnell is established
  3. 1884Post officeThe Callan post office opens
  4. 1885Post officeThe Callan post office closes
  5. 1885Post officeThe Parnell post office opens
  6. 1892Born herePatsy Gharrity is born here
  7. 20th century
  8. 1910CensusPopulation peaks at 369
  9. 1930Born hereWilliam Edwin Franklin is born here
  10. 1968On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Parnell, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Parnell, Iowa2015Parnell, IowaIAMap-doton-Parnell2004IAMap-doton-Parnell
On the map

Parnell on the map in 1968

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Parnell.

Parnell on the 1968 USGS map1968North English sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Parnell.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Parnell

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

See all →
W
William Edwin FranklinAmerican Roman-Catholic priest, seventh bishop … · b. 1930
Patsy GharrityAmerican baseball player · b. 1892
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and places now gone

Parnell’s post office has been open since 1885. Another post office, Callan, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Callan
1884–1885
Parnell
1885–today
18801950today
Gone or out of use
Parnelllocale

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

Questions about Parnell’s history

What year was Parnell founded?

In 1884, according to Wikidata. Parnell’s post office opened in 1884, and the census of 1900 counted 318 people here.

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 (2), 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) 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.