Centerville is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of Appanoose County,

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

, United States. The population was 5,412 in the 2020 census, a decline from 5,924 in

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

. After the turn of the 20th century Centerville's coal mining industry attracted European immigrants from Sweden, Italy, Croatia, and Albania. Centerville is also home of the largest town square in the state of Iowa.

History

Founded in 1846 by Jonathon Stratton under the name of "Chaldea," the city was planned around a unique two-block long city square. The name was later changed to Senterville, named after

William Tandy Senter William Tandy Senter (May 12, 1801 – August 28, 1848) was an American politician that represented Tennessee's second district in the United States House of Representatives. Biography Senter was born at Bean Station, Tennessee on May 12, 1801 ...

, a prominent

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

politician. When incorporation papers were filed in 1855, someone mistook the name for a misspelling and corrected it to Centerville.

A mining town

The first coal mine in Centerville was opened in 1868, with its

mine shaft Shaft mining or shaft sinking is the action of excavating a mine shaft from the top down, where there is initially no access to the bottom. Shallow shafts, typically sunk for civil engineering projects, differ greatly in execution method from ...

about one-half mile from the

Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illin ...

depot. Horse-power was used to raise coal from the mines until 1872, when the Watson Coal Company opened a mine equipped with a steam hoist. The Centerville Block Coal Company, organized in 1894, consolidated the operation of numerous mines in the region to become the dominant mining company. In 1914, Centerville Block Coal produced over 100,000 tons of coal, ranking among the top 24 coal producers in the state. Centerville Block's largest competitor, formed around the same time, was the Scandinavian Coal Company, organized by a group of Swedish immigrants. By 1938, coal production in the Centerville region was 600,000 tons per year. The mines were in the Mystic coal bed, 125 feet below ground in Centerville but exposed at the surface in Mystic, 5 miles to the northwest. Centerville Block Coal's Relay Mine Number 3 was located on the west side of town (Number 31 on the map). By 1908, the coal face was a mile from the base of the shaft. Mules were used to haul trains of loaded coal tubs to the main haulage way, where they were hauled by a continuous loop of cable the last half mile to the shaft. The coal seam here was about 3 feet thick, and the shaft was 107 feet deep. A centrifugal blower 12 feet in diameter provided ventilation, and compressed air was used to power mining machinery.Henry Hinds, The Coal Deposits of Iowa
Annual Report, 1908
Iowa Geological Survey, 1909, page 277. Local Assembly 1020 of the

Knights of Labor Knights of Labor (K of L), officially Noble and Holy Order of the Knights of Labor, was an American labor federation active in the late 19th century, especially the 1880s. It operated in the United States as well in Canada, and had chapters also ...

was based in Centerville and had a membership of 150 in 1884. On April 1, 1885, 325 miners in town went on strike, protesting a 20% drop in wages reflecting a decrease in the demand for coal during the summer months. Later, the

United Mine Workers of America The United Mine Workers of America (UMW or UMWA) is a North American Labor history of the United States, labor union best known for representing coal miners. Today, the Union also represents health care workers, truck drivers, manufacturing worke ...

had a very strong presence in Centerville. In 1912, UMWA Local 553 in Centerville had 1194 members, making it the second largest UMWA local in the country. The largest UMWA local was in

Buxton, Iowa The Consolidation Coal Company (CCC) was founded in 1875 in Iowa and purchased by the Chicago and North Western Railroad in 1880 in order to secure a local source of coal. The company operated in south central Iowa in Mahaska and Monroe count ...

. In 1910, the Scandinavian Coal Company drilled a 550-foot exploratory hole in Centerville, discovering a deposit of

gypsum Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, blackboard or sidewalk chalk, and drywall. ...

and

anhydrite Anhydrite, or anhydrous calcium sulfate, is a mineral with the chemical formula CaSO4. It is in the orthorhombic crystal system, with three directions of perfect cleavage parallel to the three planes of symmetry. It is not isomorphous with the ...

10 feet thick near the bottom. The Centerville Gypsum Company was formed to exploit this deposit, and between 1912 and 1913, the company bored a shaft down to the gypsum. Water problems delayed the opening of the mine until 1917, and commercial production began in 1919. The mine was closed in the early 1930s. The Sunshine mine, about 3 miles west of Centerville (number 30 on the map), was very small in 1908, with just a horse-powered hoist at the pit head. By the 1930s, this was a large mine with an attached mining camp and a mountain of mine waste 500 feet long. The Sunshine Mine Drive-In is a

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actor, actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The p ...

on the former mine site that opened in 2005, but has since closed and fallen into disrepair.

The post-coal era

Centerville experienced its peak population in the early 1900s as the popularity of coal peaked. After that point, as usage dwindled, the coal industry that had been the community's life blood collapsed. In the 1950s and 1960s a civic movement to promote new industries began. This effort culminated in the building of Rathbun Dam, near the city of

Rathbun, Iowa Rathbun is a city in Appanoose County, Iowa, United States. The population was 43 at the time of the 2020 census. History Incorporated in 1897, Rathbun was established in 1892 as a mining town. It was named for Charles H. Rathbun, a mine offic ...

, forming Rathbun Lake, known as "Iowa's Ocean", that was dedicated on July 31, 1971 by President

Richard M. Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was t ...

. In June 2006 the Centerville Daily Iowegian reported that the city's largest employer, a

Rubbermaid Rubbermaid is an American manufacturer and distributor of household items. It is a subsidiary of Newell Brands. It is best known for producing food storage containers and trash cans. Additionally, it produces sheds, footstool, step stools, closet ...

plant, that opened in Centerville in 1985, would shut down in September 2006 displacing 500 workers. In 2007, the former Rubbermaid building was purchased by Lee Container, a manufacturer of products made of high density polyethylene plastic resin. The Southern Iowa Railroad was an electric interurban connecting Centerville to Moravia with a branch to Mystic. The railroad disbanded in 1967. The

Appanoose County Community Railroad The Appanoose County Community Railroad was based out of Centerville, Iowa. It was a shortline running to the community of Albia, Iowa, where it distributed cars from Centerville to be put on the BNSF Railway's trains. The railroad ran its first ...

(APNC) was a short-line railroad founded in 1984, operating on discarded former rail lines, and connecting to the BNSF railroad in Albia. The APNC was succeeded by the Iowa Southern Railway in 2016 and still provides rail service to the city.

Geography

Centerville is located in south-central Iowa at the junction of

Iowa Highway 2 Iowa Highway 2 (Iowa 2) is a state highway which runs across the southernmost tier of counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. At no point along its route is Iowa 2 more than from the Missouri state line, except for a small section near its ea ...

and

Iowa Highway 5 Iowa Highway 5 is a highway in southern Iowa. It is a north–south highway with a length of . It is the northernmost segment of a three-state "Highway 5" also involving Missouri Route 5 and Arkansas Highway 5. Portions of the highway are ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Climate

According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Centerville has a

hot-summer humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

, abbreviated "Dfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 5,528 people, 2,491 households, and 1,411 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 2,838 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.5%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.9%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.4% Native American, 0.3%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.3% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.5% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.9% of the population. There were 2,491 households, of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.4% were non-families. 37.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.84. The median age in the city was 41.8 years. 22.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.2% were from 25 to 44; 26.1% were from 45 to 64; and 20.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.6% male and 53.4% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,924 people, 2,583 households, and 1,516 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,935 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.35%

, 0.81%

, 0.14% Native American, 0.37%

, 0.44% from

, and 0.89% from two or more races.

of any race were 1.52% of the population. There were 2,583 households, out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.3% were non-families. 36.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.88. Age spread: 23.3% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 22.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $25,498, and the median income for a family was $36,855. Males had a median income of $28,333 versus $21,207 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,574. About 11.3% of families and 18.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.2% of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Arts and culture

Pancake Day

Since 1949, the city has conducted an annual Pancake Day festival. For the first five years, the celebration was held the first Thursday in October until 1954 when it was moved to the last Thursday in September. In 1965 the celebration was moved to the last Saturday in September. Pancake Day is a time for local businesses and organizations to cook up pancakes which they provide for free to their customers to show thanks for their continued patronage. The event that is held in the Courthouse Square Historic District features a morning kiddie parade, a larger afternoon parade with a unique double-loop parade route, a beauty queen contest and free entertainment. On Pancake Day 2021, the Guinness World Record was set when 14,000 pancakes served in four hours. Pancake Day has been attended by Tennessee Senator

Estes Kefauver Carey Estes Kefauver (; July 26, 1903 – August 10, 1963) was an American politician from Tennessee. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1939 to 1949 and in the Senate from 1949 until his d ...

; J. C. Penney; Philip W. Pillsbury; former

Governor of New York The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has ...

, W. Averell Harriman;

Muriel Humphrey Muriel Fay Humphrey Brown (née Buck; February 20, 1912September 20, 1998) was an American politician who served as the second lady of the United States from 1965 to 1969, and as a U.S. Senator from Minnesota in 1978. She was married to the 38th ...

;

Rocky Marciano Rocco Francis Marchegiano (September 1, 1923 – August 31, 1969; ), better known as Rocky Marciano (, ), was an American professional boxer who competed from 1947 to 1955, and held the world heavyweight title from 1952 to 1956. He is the only ...

; and Centerville Native

Simon Estes Simon Estes (born March 2, 1938) is an operatic bass-baritone of African-American descent who had a major international opera career beginning in the 1960s. He has sung at most of the world's major opera houses as well as in front of presiden ...

. Entertainers have included

Thomas Ian Nicholas Thomas Ian Nicholas (born July 10, 1980) is an American film actor, film producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate vari ...

Barbara Mandrell Barbara Ann Mandrell (born December 25, 1948) is an American country music singer and musician. She is also credited as an actress and author. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, she was considered among country's most successful music artist ...

, and

Minnie Pearl Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon (October 25, 1912 – March 4, 1996), known professionally as her stage character Minnie Pearl, was an American comedian who appeared at the Grand Ole Opry for more than 50 years (1940–1991) and on the televisio ...

Croatian Fest

Croatian Fest was held in Centerville from 1987 to 2008.

Education

The school district serving Centerville is the Centerville Community School District. It consists of Centerville High School, Howar Middle, Lakeview Elementary, Central Ward Elementary all located in Centerville. Central Ward Elementary closed in 2020 when classes were moved to Lakeview Elememtary. The first Centerville High School graduate—and the one and only graduate from the Class of 1876—was Jennie Drake, the daughter of former

Governor of Iowa A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Francis M. Drake. The first African-American graduate was Joseph Edwin Herriford, a graduate from the Class of 1885. Centerville is the home of the Centerville Campus of

Indian Hills Community College Indian Hills Community College (IHCC) is a public community college in Iowa with campuses in Ottumwa and Centerville. IHCC serves both traditional residential students and commuter students, primarily from a ten-county area in southeast Iowa as ...

, a two-year community college, that was established in 1930 as Centerville Junior College, later known as Centerville Community College. On October 1, 1970 the college became the Centerville Campus of

when it merged as an Iowa Area XV Community College, which has its main campus located in

Ottumwa, Iowa Ottumwa ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Wapello County, Iowa, United States. The population was 25,529 at the time of the 2020 U.S. Census. Located in the state's southeastern section, the city is split into northern and southern halves b ...

, known as the Ottumwa Campus of

. In 1970 the present Centerville Campus of

was built on North First Street in Centerville, Iowa.

Media

Newspapers

*''Appanoose Weekly''

TV and Digital Media

The Iowa Media Network is located in Centerville Iowa and operates GoPitchTV, covering Appanoose County. GoPitchTV is an online TV station, broadcasting live events on Facebook Live and on the GoPitchTV app and GoPitchTV.com

Radio stations

AM

KCOG KCOG (1400 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a Hot AC format. The station is licensed to serve the community of Centerville, Iowa, United States. The station is owned by KCOG, Inc. Translator KCOG programming is also carried on a broadcast tr ...

1400

The True Oldies Channel Scott Shannon's True Oldies Channel (also known more recently as ''The True Oldies Channel: Greatest Hits'') is a radio network begun in the spring of 2004. Originally distributed by ABC Radio Networks via satellite, the service plays a hybrid ol ...

FM Radio

KMGO KMGO (98.7 MHz) is a radio station licensed to serve Centerville, Iowa, United States. KMGO broadcasts a locally programmed New Country format and is the Iowa affiliate foAccuWeather

98.7 Iowa's # 1 Country *KCOG 103.9 (re-broadcast of the KCOG 1400 AM signal)

Film

*The independent 2005 movie ''Iowa'', starring Matt Farnsworth and

Rosanna Arquette Rosanna Lisa Arquette (; born August 10, 1959) is an American actress. She was nominated for an Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie, Emmy Award for her performance in the TV film ''The Executioner's Song ( ...

, was filmed in Centerville. *The 1921 silent movie, ''The Wonderful Thing'', starring

Norma Talmadge Norma Marie Talmadge (May 2, 1894 – December 24, 1957) was an American actress and film producer of the silent film, silent era. A major box-office draw for more than a decade, her career reached a peak in the early 1920s, when she ranked among ...

, was partly filmed in Centerville and Appanoose County.

Infrastructure

Transportation

runs east–west through Centerville and

runs north–south. Iowa Southern Railway (ISRY), formerly

, is operated by Progressive Rail, Inc. with class one connections with BNSF, CP, and NS. Centerville Municipal Airport is located on the southwest edge of Centerville.

Utilities

Alliant Energy Alliant Energy is a public utility holding company headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, providing power in Iowa and Wisconsin. History Interstate Power and Light Company (IPL) expanded greatly in the late 1920s to include operations in Iowa, ...

provides electric power and gas.

Windstream Holdings Windstream Holdings, Inc., also doing business as Windstream Communications or Windstream, is a provider of voice and data network communications (broadband, VoIP, MPLS VPN, MPLS), and managed services (Virtual machine, virtual servers, managed fi ...

Mediacom Mediacom Communications Corporation is the United States' fifth largest cable television provider based on the number of video subscribers, and among the leading cable operators focused on serving smaller cities and towns. The company has a s ...

, and Natel offer cable television, landline telephone, and internet service. Rathbun Regional Water Association provides drinking water and related services. Centerville Municipal Water is an independent entity that provides water and sewer services. Multiple privately owned trash haulers offer trash removal. Recycling services are available at the Rathbun Area Solid Waste Commission (RASWC).

Health Care

MercyOne Centerville, part of the

MercyOne MercyOne (formerly Mercy Health Network) is a system of hospitals, clinics, and health care facilities in the U.S. states of Iowa, Nebraska and surrounding communities. It is run under a joint operating agreement between Catholic Health Initiative ...

system of hospitals, provides emergency, clinical, and specialty medical services.

Notable people

Manuel Bromberg Manuel Abraham Bromberg (March 6, 1917 – February 3, 2022) was an American artist and Professor Emeritus of Art, at the State University of New York at New Paltz. He was a 1946 Guggenheim Fellow. Life Bromberg was born in Centerville, Iowa, ...

, artist *

John Bushemi John A. Bushemi (April 19, 1917 – February 19, 1944) was an American, best known for his service as a World War II combat photographer and filmmaker for the U.S. Army. Bushemi, the son of Sicilian immigrants, was born in Centerville, Iowa ...

, photographer * Francis M. Drake,

Richard Dudman Richard Beebe Dudman (May 3, 1918 – August 3, 2017) was an American journalist who spent 31 years with the ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' during which time he covered Fidel Castro's insurgency in Cuba, the assassination of President John F. Ken ...

, journalist *

, bass-baritone opera singer *

Mack Garner Andrew Mack Garner (December 23, 1898 – October 28, 1936) was an American jockey who won the 1934 Kentucky Derby as well as the 1929 and 1933 Belmont Stakes. He was inducted in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1969. Mack Garner ...

, jockey in

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

Jonathan Mathews Jonathan Richard Mathews (born March 18, 1972) is an American professional baseball coach for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball. Mathews is from Centerville, Iowa. The Colorado Rockies selected him in the 42nd round of the 1994 MLB d ...

, professional baseball coach * Rick Mathews, professional baseball coach and scout *

Harry J. Middleton Harry Joseph Middleton Jr. (October 24, 1921 – January 20, 2017) was an American journalist, author, and library director who served as Lyndon B. Johnson's Presidential speech writer and staff assistant from 1967 to 1969. Middleton was also di ...

, journalist, writer, and museum director * Mike Morris, pro football player *

Claude Payton Claude Duval Payton (March 30, 1882 in Centerville, Iowa – March 1, 1955 in Los Angeles, California) was an American actor in many silent films and other films. On stage, Claude Payton toured with the Spooner Stock Company, which was head ...

, actor *

Claude R. Porter Claude Rodman Porter (July 8, 1872 – August 17, 1946) was an American politician and lawyer. He served in both chambers of the Iowa General Assembly and as a United States Attorney, and was a perennial Democratic Party (United States), Democrati ...

, government official and politician * Edna May Spooner, actress * H.N. Swanson, literary agent *

Andrew W. Tibbets Andrew W. Tibbets (1830 – May 18, 1898) was an American soldier who fought in the American Civil War. Tibbets received his country's highest award for bravery during combat, the Medal of Honor. Tibbets medal was won for capturing the flag of the ...

, Medal of Honor recipient in the American Civil War, entered service in Centerville * John K. Valentine, 29th

Lieutenant Governor of Iowa This is a list of lieutenant governors of the U.S. state of Iowa. History Prior to 1990, the governor and lieutenant governor were elected in separate elections; since then they have run together on the same ticket. List See also * List of g ...

Himie Voxman Himie Voxman (September 17, 1912 – November 22, 2011) was an American musician, teacher, university administrator, and composer known for producing many volumes of pedagogical compositions and literature for wind instruments. Early life Himie V ...

, clarinetist * Madison M. Walden,

References

External links

City of CentervilleCenterville-Rathbun Lake Chamber of CommerceNewspaper archive
Centerville Historical Society's archive of area newspapers ranging from 1857 to 2009.
{{authority control Cities in Appanoose County, Iowa Cities in Iowa County seats in Iowa Populated places established in 1846 Swedish-American culture in Iowa 1846 establishments in Iowa Territory