Scotch Grove 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 ...

in Jones 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. Scotch Grove is located on Iowa Highway 38, southeast of Monticello and north of Center Junction. The townsite was listed as a

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...

on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2014.

History

In 1837, the first settlers came to Scotch Grove. Most of these settlers were from the Red River Settlement, which was located in modern-day Winnipeg

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

. They were sponsored by Lord Selkirk and known as the Selkirk Settlers. They had defended themselves from violent members of NW furtraders who tried to drive them out of the West. They were starved, killed, burned out and terrorized until they finally left. https://www.lordselkirk.ca/ Most families originated from Island of Mull, Scotland travelled to Hudson Bay 1812 and south by water to Lake Winnipeg and to the forks of Red river and Assiniboia River. These settlers were descendants of

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

farmers who were evicted during the

Highland Clearances The Highland Clearances ( gd, Fuadaichean nan Gàidheal , the "eviction of the Gaels") were the evictions of a significant number of tenants in the Scottish Highlands and Islands, mostly in two phases from 1750 to 1860. The first phase resulte ...

. The town of Scotch Grove was laid out in 1872 by James and Charles Applegate, on whose property the Davenport & St. Paul Railroad depot had been built the same year. The community developed as an agriculture-related business center in the heyday of

's agricultural golden age between the 1890s and the 1920s. Unlike most other communities that developed along a railroad, it was never able to grow beyond a rural crossroads community. Scotch Grove's population in 1902 was 28. The historic district at the time of its nomination consisted of 52 resources, including 41

contributing buildings In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...

, three

contributing structures In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...

, and eight non-contributing buildings. Among the historic buildings there are 19 commercial-related buildings, 15 houses, two railroad-related buildings, three garages and two sheds. The historic structures include a silo and the two roads that form the crossroads. The buildings that are not considered historic are more recent construction.

Notable person

Roderick Dhu Sutherland Roderick Dhu Sutherland (April 27, 1862 – October 18, 1915) was an American Populist Party politician. Sutherland was born in Scotch Grove, Iowa, and attended Amity College, in College Springs, Iowa. He taught school and studied law, being ...

, Member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

, 1897–1901.Sutherland, Roderick Dhu, (1862 - 1915) at Biographical Directory of United States Congress
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References

Unincorporated communities in Jones County, Iowa Unincorporated communities in Iowa Scottish-American culture in Iowa Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Jones County, Iowa Historic districts in Jones County, Iowa {{JonesCountyIA-geo-stub