Spencer is a city in the state of
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, 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
Clay County Clay County is the name of 18 counties in the United States. Most are named for Henry Clay, U.S. Senator and statesman:
* Clay County, Alabama
* Clay County, Arkansas (named for John Clayton, and originally named Clayton County)
* Clay County, Fl ...
.
It is located at the confluence of the
Little Sioux and
Ocheyedan rivers. The population was 11,325 in the
2020 census, an increase from 11,317 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 ...
.
Spencer hosts the
Clay County Fair
The Clay County Fair is held every September in Spencer, Iowa, United States. It is the largest county fair in the state of Iowa. It has the largest agricultural exposition in North America. Bringing in over 310,000 visitors a year, the Clay Coun ...
, held annually in September and averaging more than 300,000 visitors.
The town's late library cat,
Dewey Readmore Books
Dewey Readmore Books (November 18, 1987 – November 29, 2006) was the library cat of the Spencer, Iowa, Public Library. Having been abandoned in the library's drop box in January 1988, he was adopted by the library and gained local attention fo ...
, became known throughout the world before his death in 2006. He was immortalized in the book ''
Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World'' by
Vicki Myron, director of the library, and Bret Witter.
History
When Clay County was established in 1851, it had no local government and official business was done out of Sergeant's Bluff, nearly 100 miles away on the Missouri River. In 1859, Judge Hubbard of Iowa's 4th Judicial District authorized a committee to find a site for the county seat. This committee selected "Section 20 of Spencer Township", located roughly in the center of the county near the confluence of "Sioux River and Ocheydan Creek", as the site for the "seat of justice". County Judge Charles Smeltzer approved their plan and began signing documents with the location "Spencer, Clay County, Iowa", even though he was not physically there. A small group of land speculators had cleared the area and laid out a town plan, but there were no people living in that area at the time. Most of Clay County's residents were living in Peterson Township, in the far southeastern corner of the county. Put to a vote, Peterson was chosen as the County Seat and a courthouse erected there. The site of the proposed town languished, uninhabited, for many years, the area coming to be called "Spencer Grove".
The first settlers in what is now Spencer arrived in Emmetsburg in the Winter of 1865. Most of the men were Union veterans of the Civil War from Wisconsin and were claiming land under the Homestead Act of 1862. While in Emmetburg, they were told of Spencer Grove and decided it would make a nice place to establish their homesteads. The town site was platted by John Franklin Calkins. He and his family and some other families arrived in Spencer Grove in May 1866 and were joined by another wave of settlers later that Summer. On September 20, 1866, Spencer Grove Township was formally organized; one of the benefits was the residents being able to vote locally rather than traveling twenty miles to Peterson, the County Seat and only incorporated town in Clay County. In October 1866, Spencer Grove resident Romanzo Coates was elected as Superintendent of Clay County Common Schools; he established the first schoolhouse on the upper level of his cabin and appointed his wife as the first schoolteacher.
In 1868, the US Postal Service authorized a Post Office to be established at Spencer Grove: the authorization came with the caveat that there already was a "Spencer Grove" in Iowa, so they needed to change the name; the residents opted to drop "Grove" and henceforth the name of the town was simply "Spencer". Romanzo Coates, already the Superintendent of Schools, was also made the town's first Postmaster, with his cabin used as the first Post Office.
In 1869, Garrett Marcellus moved to Spencer and established a mill on the Little Sioux River about one mile downstream. This was Spencer's first real business outside of the goods being sold out of J.W. Masten's cabin. Several businesses soon followed: Peeso & Burgin's General Store and Tuttle & Smith both opened in 1870, as did a wagon shop, butcher shop and a blacksmith.
The plat for the Town of Spencer was filed on May 8, 1871 and approved by Judge Snyder of Iowa's 4th District Court. This marks the official founding of Spencer, Iowa. That year also saw the addition of several more businesses, including a hotel and hardware store.
By this time, the population around Spencer had surpassed that of Peterson, the County Seat located in the far southeastern corner of the county. A petition was passed to move the seat to the more centrally located Spencer; the motion passed 359-200 and in October 1871, the seat of government for Clay County was moved from Peterson to Spencer. At the time, Spencer lacked any building suitable for a courthouse, so residents pooled money and talent to build a two-story, 20x40 building on Main Street. This was subsequently purchased by the County for $1333 and used as the courthouse.
Between June and September 1878, the Chicago, Milwaukee & St Paul Railway built a line west from Algona to Spencer. The line was completed in mid-September and regular service began on September 15. Along with the rail road came telegraph service, the poles having been constructed alongside the tracks.
Spencer was formally incorporated as the Town of Spencer on March 26, 1880, with a mayor and board of trustees. On March 21, 1892, it was re-incorporated as the City of Spencer, with a mayor and city council.
In 1899, growth here was stimulated by construction of the
Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway to the settlement. The county seat operated as a trading center for a county devoted to farming. The railroad carried crops and products into and out of the area.
A 1931 fire, ignited by a dropped sparkler, destroyed more than 100 buildings in the town. Using the case of the Spencer Fire along with the Remsen Fire of 1936, the state legislature banned almost all fireworks until 2017, when a relaxed law was passed. As yet, Spencer has not authorized fireworks sale or use in the city. (Exception: During the legal periods, one can apply for a permit to sell.)
Geography
Spencer's longitude and latitude coordinates in decimal form are 43.145318, 95.147209.
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
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 11,233 people, 5,018 households, and 3,009 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 5,431 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.0%
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 ...
, 0.5%
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 ...
, 0.3%
Native American, 0.7%
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 ...
, 1.3% 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 1.2% 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 ...
or
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 ...
people of any race were 3.5% of the population.
There were 5,018 households, of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% 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, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.0% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.80.
The median age in the city was 41.5 years. 23% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.3% were from 25 to 44; 26.5% were from 45 to 64; and 19.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.7% male and 52.3% female.
2000 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 2000, there were 11,317 people, 4,842 households, and 3,011 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 5,151 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.57%
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 ...
, 0.14%
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 ...
, 0.13%
Native American, 1.11%
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 ...
, 0.04%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 0.34% 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 0.65% 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 ...
or
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 ...
people of any race were 1.43% of the population.
There were 4,842 households, out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% 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, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.89.
Age spread: 23.8% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 19.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,970, and the median income for a family was $43,145. Males had a median income of $30,537 versus $21,709 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the city was $19,153. About 7.3% of families and 9.5% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 13.3% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.
Arts and culture
In 2004, Spencer's downtown business district was recognized as historic and listed 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 ...
. As the county seat and a railroad stop, Spencer also served as a center of trade for the farming county.
Also in 2004, the State Historical Society of Iowa certified the Spencer Downtown Cultural District as one of the initial eight such projects across the state. Spencer's proposal for this designation included remodeling the old Spencer Middle School building as a multi-purpose facility, to include a senior citizen center, affordable housing units, and a restored facade. Future work on the project for the former Middle School will restore the historic auditorium. The State Historical Society designation also recognizes the city's renovation of its Grand Avenue bridge to include a public art work: commissioned stained glass plates in an
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
style.
Current cultural attractions in Spencer include the Spencer Community Theater the Parker House Museum, Clay County Heritage, and various public art displays. Arts on Grand is a cultural attraction and nonprofit organization which supports local area artists with a gallery shop, exhibits, classes, workshops, tours, fundraising events, and other activities. The Curiel-Reynolds School of Visual Arts (CRVA) relocated from
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
, Michigan to Spencer in 2007.
Spencer's Public Library is where the
library cat known as
Dewey Readmore Books
Dewey Readmore Books (November 18, 1987 – November 29, 2006) was the library cat of the Spencer, Iowa, Public Library. Having been abandoned in the library's drop box in January 1988, he was adopted by the library and gained local attention fo ...
resided from January 18, 1988, until his death on November 29, 2006. His story, with much about the town of Spencer, is told in ''
Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World'' (2008), by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter, and related children's versions and audio books. Numerous works of art around town feature images of Dewey including “The Gathering: Of Time, Of Land, Of Many Hands," a community mosaic project designed to celebrate the Millennium.
Radio stations
*
KICD-FM
KICD-FM (107.7 MHz) is a radio station licensed to serve the community of Spencer, Iowa. The station broadcasts a country music format. KICD is licensed to Saga Communications of Iowa, LLC.
The studio, transmitter and broadcast tower are locat ...
(107.7
FM)
*
KICD-AM (1240
AM)
*
KUYY
KUYY is a radio station airing an adult top 40 format licensed to Emmetsburg, Iowa, broadcasting on 100.1 MHz FM. The station brands as Y100.1, Today's Best Variety. The station serves the areas of Spencer, Iowa, Estherville, Iowa, and the I ...
(100.1
FM)
*
KMRR
KMRR (104.9 FM) is a radio station airing an adult contemporary format licensed to Spencer, Iowa. The station serves the areas of Spencer, Iowa
Spencer is a city in the state of Iowa, United States, and the county seat of Clay County. It is lo ...
(104.9
FM)
Education
The
Spencer Community School District operates public schools.
Infrastructure
Transportation
:;
Roadway
U.S. Routes 18 and
71 run concurrently for approximately three miles through Spencer.
:;
Air travel
The
Spencer Municipal Airport
Spencer Municipal Airport , also known as Northwest Iowa Regional Airport, is a public airport located three miles (5 km) northwest of the central business district of Spencer, a city in Clay County, Iowa, United States. It is owned by the ...
is located three miles (5 km) northwest of the business district of Spencer.
Great Lakes Airlines
Great Lakes Airlines was an American regional airline operating domestic scheduled and charter services. Corporate headquarters were in Cheyenne, Wyoming, with a hub at Denver International Airport.
As of November 2013, Great Lakes Airlines ...
was formerly headquartered there. At the height of Great Lake's service, the airline provided non-stop flights to several locations in the continental United States using Beechcraft 1900D and EMB Brasilia aircraft. The airline has since relocated to
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne ( or ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming, as well as the county seat of Laramie County, with 65,132 residents, per the 2020 US Census. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne metropolitan statistical ...
.
The fixed-base operator is Leading Edge Aviation. They provide aircraft charters, rentals and flight instruction.
Notable people
*
Dewey Readmore Books
Dewey Readmore Books (November 18, 1987 – November 29, 2006) was the library cat of the Spencer, Iowa, Public Library. Having been abandoned in the library's drop box in January 1988, he was adopted by the library and gained local attention fo ...
, Library Cat
*
Alice Cook Fuller
Alice Emma Cook Fuller (October 30, 1873 – September 30, 1956) was an American writer and educator.
Early life
Alice Emma Cook was born in Spencer, Iowa and raised in Deadwood, South Dakota, the daughter of Thomas G. Cook and Sarah J. Love ...
, educator, writer, school superintendent
*
Michelle D. Johnson Lieutenant General in the United Air Force and 19th Superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy
*
Connie Kunzmann
Connie Renea Kunzmann (July 3, 1956 – February 7, 1981) was a professional basketball player who was a member of the Iowa Cornets and the Nebraska Wranglers in the Women's Professional Basketball League (WBL) from 1978 to 1981. Kunzmann made ...
, professional basketball player
*
Vicki Myron, co-author of ''
Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World''
*
Roger Neumann,
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
saxophonist
The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...
,
flutist
The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with Reed (instrument), reeds, a fl ...
,
composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and Defi ...
,
arranger
In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...
, and music educator
*
Ronald Roskens
Ronald William Roskens (December 11, 1932 – February 27, 2022) was an American academic. He was the president of the University of Nebraska System from 1977 to 1989. Roskens was a member and past National President of Sigma Tau Gamma.
He served ...
, academic
*
Robert Suderburg
Robert Charles Suderburg (28 January 1936 in Spencer, Iowa – 22 April 2013 in Williamstown, Massachusetts) was an American composer, conductor, and pianist.
Biography
The son of a jazz trombonist, Suderburg studied composition with Paul Fetle ...
,
composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and Defi ...
,
conductor, and
pianist
A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...
*
Robin Thede
Robin Thede ( ) is an American comedian, actress and writer. Raised in Iowa, she has also worked as an entertainment correspondent, host, and radio personality. In 2015, she became the first African-American woman to be head writer for a late-n ...
, actress and comedian, host of ''
The Rundown
''The Rundown'' (known internationally as ''Welcome to the Jungle'') is a 2003 American buddy action comedy film directed by Peter Berg and written by James Vanderbilt and R.J. Stewart. It stars Dwayne Johnson (credited as The Rock), Seann Will ...
''; creator of and actress on ''
A Black Lady Sketch Show''
*
Richard L. Tierney, author and poet
*
Linda Wejcman
Linda Wejcman (December 9, 1939 – February 22, 2010) was an American politician who served as a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1991 to 2000.
Background
Born in Spencer, Iowa, Wejcman attended Iowa State University. ...
, Minnesota legislator
See also
*
Clay County Courthouse
References
External links
Official City Government websiteSpencer Chamber of Commerce*
ttps://web.archive.org/web/20040620231029/http://www.spencer-iowa.com/ Social Networking site of Spencer, Iowabr>
City-DataComprehensive Statistical Data and more about Spencer
{{authority control
Cities in Iowa
Cities in Clay County, Iowa
Micropolitan areas of Iowa
County seats in Iowa
1866 establishments in Iowa