1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 5 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1969 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1873.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Riverside’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Riverside is more historic than 77% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Riverside’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 Riverside’s 56.2 sits above most of its state (77% of Iowa towns have fewer) while its 5 historic buildings outnumber those of 70% 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 (±6.0 points). Two sources give 1872.
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 Riverside’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The settlement of Riverside was established in 1872 and incorporated in 1882. The name, suggested by a Dr. Ott, is probably a reference to the townsite's location on the English River.
The Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway built a 66 miles (106 km) branch from Iowa City to What Cheer via Riverside in 1879. Riverside was just west of Iowa Junction, where the lines east to Muscatine and north to Iowa City diverged.
Passages that mention Riverside, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The history of Washington County, Iowa1880 · page 406Read the page →
Read the text
the autumn of 1878, and, after some considerable delay in bridging the river, halted at a new town which had sprung up in anticipation of its coming. The site of the new town was near the old post-office of Yattan, established early in the history of the county, and was called Riverside. This new rond was called the Muscatine and Western Railroad, and its terminus remained at Riverside until about one year ago, when the project of extending it was extensively agitated in the northern tier of townships in this and Keokuk counties. A five per cent tax was voted in most of these
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of Washington County, Iowa1880 · page 581Read the page →
Read the text
Wm. Duvall found a splendid grove of timber which he took for a claim in 1839. The town of Riverside is now located on that claim, Duvall having disposed of it and left the county in 1842. In the spring of 1839 Reuben B. Davis settled on section 32, township 77, range 6. The settlement which he begun was near a creek which was named in his honor, Davis creek, and still bears that name. He came originally from Hew Jersey, and settled in Des Moines county, this State. He was a member of the denomination called Seventh Day Baptists, and by
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Washington County, Iowa from the first white settlements to 1908. Also biographical sketches of some prominent citizens of the county1909 · page 156Read the page →
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Things were doing. In '56 Yatton was quite a place. J. F. VanDyke had laid it out in July, and N. McClure had a flouring mill humming, and it was a stirring trading point, but it began to climb the stairs when the Muscatine Western railway passed through Riverside in 1879. Riverside was laid out that year. The stub road to Iowa city hurts her trade — shoppers will climb aboard and spend their money with the Montgomery Wards and Sears & Roebucks in the university town.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of Washington County, Iowa, its cities, towns, and c., a biographical directory of its citizens ..1880 · page 581Read the page →
Read the text
Wm. Duvall found a splendid grove of timber which he took for a claim in 1839. The town of Riverside is now located on that claim, Duvall having ■disposed of it and left the county in 1842. In the spring of 1839 Eeuben B. Davis settled on section 32, township 77, range 6. The settlement which he begun was near a creek which was named in his honor, Davis creek, and still bears that name. He came originally from New Jersey, and settled in Des Moines county, this State. He was a member of the denomination called Seventh Day Baptists, and by
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
Riverside, 1872 to 1996
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Riverside’s history
What year was Riverside founded?
In 1872, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Riverside’s post office opened in 1873, and the census of 1880 counted 412 people here.
How does Riverside rank for history?
Riverside is more historic than 77% of U.S. towns. 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 Riverside?
One place: the St. Mary's Parish Church Buildings (listed 1979).
How old are the homes in Riverside?
32% of Riverside’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.0 points), against a typical 22% for an Iowa town; the median home was built in 1974.
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 National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.
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