Scranton dates its founding to 1869 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1890.
First census: 715 in 18902020 census: 511157 years
How did Scranton get its name?
Scranton was named for Joseph H. Scranton of Scranton, Pennsylvania, who supplied most of the iron rails in the construction of the railroad.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1868. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓
What stands out about Scranton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Scranton was platted in 1869, shortly after the Cedar Rapids & Missouri River Railroad was built through that territory. It was named for Joseph H. Scranton of Scranton, Pennsylvania, who supplied most of the iron rails in the construction of the railroad. Scranton was incorporated in 1880.
Scranton's water tower, built in 1897, is the oldest working water tower in Iowa and ninth oldest in the United States. A fire occurred at the tower in 1907, initially started to melt ice that had caused the town to be without water. Three men were injured attempting to put the fire out, although the tower itself did not suffer any major damage.
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Scranton. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1980Scranton 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 Scranton.
Every building
Scranton, building by building, 1898–1915
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.
1898Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Then & now
Stand where they stood
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Retake this viewScrantonIowa1921AutosCigars, 1921
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Scranton’s page.
In 1869, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Scranton’s post office opened in 1868, and the census of 1890 counted 715 people 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 (1), the Library of Congress (5), 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 and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1940
1940
1940
1940
