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History · Rhodes

Rhodes dates to 1856, and 56% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1975 on and the census since 1890.

1856founded
0on the National Register
56%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Ashton B Crew · CC BY 3.0
Quick answers

How Rhodes began

When was Rhodes founded?

1856

Rhodes dates its founding to 1856 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 434 in 18902020 census: 271170 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1860.The full story ↓

What stands out about Rhodes’ 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 Rhodes are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Rhodes’ homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Rhodes’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Rhodes’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
The story

How Rhodes came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Rhodes.

Read it all →

Rhodes was laid out in 1856, and it was incorporated in 1883. Postal service was originally established in the Marshall County town of Rhodes in 1860, at which time it was known as Edenville. The name of Rhodes was officially implemented on August 3, 1883, which was the name of the family that donated the land where the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul (Milwaukee Road) Railroad Depot was originally located.

Part of Rhodes still remains the “Edenville Township”. The cemetery just outside of town is named Edenville cemetery.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Rhodes in 1878

Passages that mention Rhodes, cut from the printed page as they were published.

A school house was built this year in North Eden, In 1857, Mr. Conway Rhodes laid out the town of Edenville, and brought quite a heavy stock of goods there. The first Fourth of July celebration was held this year, in the grove back of Edenville, Rev. Mr. Merrill, from College Farm, Jasper County, d…
The History of Marshall 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 promi1878 · page 517Read the page →
Read the text

A school house was built this year in North Eden, In 1857, Mr. Conway Rhodes laid out the town of Edenville, and brought quite a heavy stock of goods there. The first Fourth of July celebration was held this year, in the grove back of Edenville, Rev. Mr. Merrill, from College Farm, Jasper County, delivering the oration. This year a weekly mail from Marietta was established, with Isaac Sanford as first Postmaster.

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

Rhodes, 1856 to 1975

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1856
    FoundingRhodes is established
  3. 1860Post officeThe Edenville post office opens
  4. 1883Post officeThe Edenville post office closes
  5. 1883Post officeThe Rhodes post office opens
  6. 20th century
  7. 1975On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Rhodes, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Rhodes Iowa 20090215 Trail Sign2009Rhodes Iowa 20090215 Trail SignRhodes Iowa 20090215 Tank2009Rhodes Iowa 20090215 TankRhodes Iowa 20090215 Post Office2009Rhodes Iowa 20090215 Post OfficeRhodes Iowa 20090215 Eden Twp Hall2009Rhodes Iowa 20090215 Eden Twp HallRhodes Iowa 20090215 Community Park Sign2009Rhodes Iowa 20090215 Community Park SignIAMap-doton-Rhodes2004IAMap-doton-Rhodes
On the map

Rhodes on the map, 1975 to 1984

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Rhodes. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Rhodes on the 1975 USGS mapRhodes on the 1984 USGS map1975Rhodes 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 Rhodes.

People over time

Rhodes, census by census

01002003004005001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 476

Between 271 and 476 people in every census since 1890.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Rhodes

Nobody well known was born in Rhodes itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Jean SebergAmerican actress · b. 1938
Frank Jack FletcherUnited States Navy admiral, Medal of Honor reci… · b. 1885
Joseph KosinskiAmerican film director · b. 1974
Mary Beth HurtAmerican stage and film actress · b. 1946
Toby HussAmerican actor · b. 1966
Charles MurrayAmerican political scientist · b. 1943
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Rhodes’s post office has been open since 1883. Another post office, Edenville, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Edenville
1860–1883
Rhodes
1883–today
18601940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Edenville
Gone or out of use
Rhodeslocale
1cemetery inside Rhodes
Eden

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

Questions about Rhodes’ history

What year was Rhodes founded?

In 1856, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Rhodes’ post office opened in 1860, and the census of 1890 counted 434 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 (6), 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.