Unionville claims to be the oldest settlement in Appanoose County; the first settlers arrived in 1843 and the first school was built in 1846. J. F. Stratton surveyed Unionville in 1848 on land "near the old dragoon trail, the Mormon trail".
Unionville was founded in 1849. The city's name most likely commemorates the federal union. Unionville was incorporated as a city in 1922.
Passages that mention Unionville, 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 prom1878Read the page →
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Another "bee trace" ran from Missouri diagonally through Davis County, and terminated in the vicinity of the present town of Unionville. Who made these two trails is a matter of little moment to the present population of Appanoose. Those who came in search of bee-trees cared little for the fertile soil and its capacity for supplying the farmers of to-day with the comforts of life.
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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 462Read the page →
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Unionville is on or near the ancient dragoon trail, described at the beginning of the county history, and consequently on the well-beaten road traveled by the Mormons, when fleeing from their settlement on Grand River to escape the visible wrath of the Gentiles surrounding them. This is also the point where the fugitives from Nauvoo diverged from their ancient trail to seek a route westward in 1846, and hence the recollection of the later flight is quite vivid in this neighborhood.
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Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Unionville, 1849 to 1968
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 (4), 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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