Swedesburg, Iowa

Swedesburg, Iowa
Unincorporated community
Swedesburg, Iowa
Swedesburg
Swedesburg
Coordinates: 41°6′19″N 91°32′50″W / 41.10528°N 91.54722°W / 41.10528; -91.54722Coordinates: 41°6′19″N 91°32′50″W / 41.10528°N 91.54722°W / 41.10528; -91.54722
Country United States
State Iowa
County Henry
Elevation 732 ft (223 m)
Time zone UTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes 52652
GNIS feature ID 462147

Swedesburg is an unincorporated community in northern Henry County, Iowa, United States.

Location

The elevation of Swedesburg is 732 feet (223 m).[1] Although Swedesburg is unincorporated, it has a post office with the ZIP code of 52652.[2]

History

Swedesburg was originally built up chiefly by Swedish immigrants.[3] They first arrived in the region in the 1860s after a wave of migration to the nearby Jefferson County in the 1840s.[4]

Swedesburg had a population of 86 in 2000.

Attractions & Landmarks

Swedesburg has a museum, the Swedish American Museum, which commemorates the community's Swedish heritage. It is housed in the former Farmers Union Exchange Building, a structure which dates from the 1920s.[5]

The following buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places:

Access

Swedesburg lies along the concurrent U.S. Route 218 and Iowa Highway 27.[6] Its elevation is 732 feet (223 m).[7] The nearest rail connection is at the county seat of Mount Pleasant, around ten miles to the south.

Literature

The author Bill Bryson mentions Swedesburg in his 2006 memoir, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid. Bryson recalls seeing Swedesburg from a distance whilst visiting his grandparents in nearby Winfield in the 1950s, and reflects how the heritages of settlements such as Swedesburg were affected by the policies of Governor William L. Harding, which resulted in the decline of European languages in the state.[8]

References

  1. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Swedesburg, Iowa
  2. ↑ Zip Code Lookup
  3. ↑ The History of Henry County, Iowa: Containing a History of the County, Its Cities, Towns, &c. Western Historical Company. 1879. p. 552.
  4. ↑ https://www.thegazette.com/subject/life/community/iowa-all-over-preserving-swedish-history-in-swedesburg-20160228
  5. ↑ http://www.museumsusa.org/museums/info/1154598
  6. ↑ Rand McNally. The Road Atlas '08. Chicago: Rand McNally, 2008, p. 39.
  7. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Swedesburg, Iowa
  8. ↑ Bryson, B. The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, Doubleday, pp.209-210, ISBN 978-0-385-60826-8


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