Florenceville is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

located in Howard 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. It is adjacent to the village of Granger,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

Geography

Florenceville is located at 43°29'54" North, 92°7'58" West. Florenceville is in the northwest portion of section 10, Albion Township, Howard County. The Iowa-Minnesota state line forms the village's northern border. The

Upper Iowa River The Upper Iowa River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed May 13, 2011 tributary of the Mississippi River in the upper Midwest of the United States. Its headwaters rise ...

runs through the village. The area features a

Karst topography Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

Niagara Cave Niagara Cave is a limestone cave located in Harmony, Minnesota. The cave is approximately 200 feet (61 m) deep; features include an underground stream, 60-foot waterfall, fossils, stalactites and stalagmites. The cave is privately owned, with ...

, located a few miles northeast of the village, is one of the largest

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

s in the

Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

History

Florenceville,

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bear ...

ted as Florence, sprang up in the mid-19th century. The population of the community was 58 in 1902, and just 12 in 1925. Originally, it had a mill, a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

and a general store. Now, mostly houses remain. The village has a

Methodist church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...

that closed in the 1960s. An annual reunion service brings former and current residents back together for a Sunday in the summer. The church building is now owned and maintained by the Howard County Historical Society.

Tourism and recreation

The village features a county park popular for

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

games. An

Amish The Amish (; pdc, Amisch; german: link=no, Amische), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptist Christian church fellowships with Swiss German and Alsatian origins. They are closely related to Mennonite churches ...

community thrives in the area and tours of Amish country are available.

References

External links

Howard County
{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Iowa Unincorporated communities in Howard County, Iowa