Bloomfield is a city and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Davis County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,682 at the 2020 census.

History

Bloomfield was incorporated on January 3, 1855. On October 12, 1864 a small group of Confederate soldiers began a raid on the town. The raid would result in the death of three citizens before the soldiers retreated back into

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

Geography

Bloomfield is located in the southeastern part of Iowa, near the

border.
Bloomfield's longitude and latitude coordinates in decimal form are 40.751122, -92.417007. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, 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 divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Bloomfield 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 cold ...

, abbreviated "Dfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2020, there were 2,682 people, 1,144 households, and 671 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was 1,179.5 inhabitants per square mile (455.4/km²). There were 1,243 housing units at an average density of 546.6 per square mile (211.1/km²). The

racial Race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 16th century, when it was used to refer to groups of va ...

makeup of the city was 94.3%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.1% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.0%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

, 1.4% from other races and 3.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino persons of any race comprised 3.8% of the population. Of the 1,144 households, 29.4% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 6.8% were cohabitating couples, 32.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 17.1% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 41.3% of all households were non-families. 35.8% of all households were made up of individuals, 17.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 41.2 years. 27.2% of the residents were under the age of 20; 4.9% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 22.3% were from 25 and 44; 23.4% were from 45 and 64; and 22.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.2% male and 53.8% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 2,640 people, 1,122 households, and 683 families living in the city. The

was . There were 1,259 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.3%

, 0.2%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.5% of the population. There were 1,122 households, of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.9% were

living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.1% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.89. The median age in the city was 43 years. 23.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21% were from 25 to 44; 25.2% were from 45 to 64; and 22.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.0% male and 54.0% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,601 people, 1,123 households, and 668 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,228 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.54%

, 0.12%

, 0.15% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.15% from other races, and 0.85% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.38% of the population. There were 1,123 households, out of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.9% were

living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.5% were non-families. 36.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.84. Age spread: 20.8% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 26.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $31,471, and the median income for a family was $44,073. Males had a median income of $25,260 versus $23,686 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $17,962. About 3.9% of families and 8.6% 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 ...

, including 11.3% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Davis County Community School District operates local area public schools.

Arts and culture

Annual events

The Davis County Fair is held in July every year at the fairgrounds, west of Bloomfield. The week-long Davis County Country & Old Time Music Festival is held every September at the fairgrounds. Bloomfield and Davis County have a large Amish population concentrated in nearby Drakesville.

Davis County Courthouse

The Davis County Courthouse was designed by Thomas J. Tolan & Son, Architects, of Fort Wayne Indiana and is situated on the Bloomfield townsquare. In November 1876, the center of the square was cleared of trees and the following June, Larkworthy & Menke, of Quincy, Illinois, was awarded the contract to supply stone. The bell was made by the Meneely & Kimberly Bell Company of Troy, New York. The clock was made by the Seth Thomas Company and still resides within the clock tower. The building was completed in 1879. A chain surrounding the courthouse was added in 1879 and an iron fence, by the Cleveland Wrought Iron Fence Company, was added in 1881. On August 27, 1924, Henry "Dare-Devil" Roland, "The Human Fly," attempted to climb the northwest corner of the courthouse. He fell to the ground from about 25 feet, breaking his hip. He was hospitalized in Bloomfield for six weeks, before returning east with his wife and daughter. On June 28, 1932, Roland made a return trip to Bloomfield to remove the blot from his record of successful climbs. This time, in just eleven minutes, he was sitting perched astride the statue of Blind Justice. Roland died October 7, 1937, as a result of a trapeze fall at Ottway, Tennessee. The Davis County Court House was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

on May 3, 1974. The courthouse was photographed by Bob Thall as part of the Bicentennial project commissioned by Joseph E. Seagram & Sons, Inc. to document more than 1,100 American courthouses. One of the results of this project was the 1978 book ''Court House,'' edited by Richard Pare. Thall's photo was part of the project's traveling exhibition and also appeared in ''

The New York Times Book Review ''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely rea ...

,'' '' American Heritage'' and ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...

'' magazines. The Bloomfield Square Historic District, which surrounds the courthouse, was added to the National Register's listings on November 7, 1976. The Davis County Courthouse Preservation Fund was incorporated in November 2005.

Historic Structures

* The James B. Weaver House is a historic house at 102 Weaver Road ( United States Route 63) in Bloomfield, Iowa. Built in 1865, it was the home of James Weaver (1833-1912) until 1890. Weaver, a populist and anti-monopolist, was the Greenback candidate for president in 1880 and the

Populist Populism is a contested concept used to refer to a variety of political stances that emphasize the idea of the " common people" and often position this group in opposition to a perceived elite. It is frequently associated with anti-establis ...

candidate in 1892. The house was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

in 1975.

* The William Findley House, also known as the Davis County Historical Society Museum, is a historic residence located in Bloomfield, Iowa, United States. Dr. William M. Findley was the first owner of this house. The T-shaped,

vernacular Vernacular is the ordinary, informal, spoken language, spoken form of language, particularly when perceptual dialectology, perceived as having lower social status or less Prestige (sociolinguistics), prestige than standard language, which is mor ...

structure is one of a very few brick houses in town, as the vast majority are frame construction. While it does not conform to any specific style, the wide, bracketed

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative Moulding (decorative), moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, ar ...

does suggest the

Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style combined its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century It ...

style. It was listed on the

in 1978.

* The Henry Wishard House, also known as the Fenton House, is a historic residence located in Bloomfield, Iowa, United States. Wishard was a prominent Bloomfield businessman, who was known as the father of the gasoline tax in the United States to raise revenue for road construction. The house was listed on the

in 2004.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Bloomfield lies at the junction of U.S. Route 63 and

Iowa Highway 2 Iowa Highway 2 (Iowa 2) is a Iowa Primary Highway System, 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 ...

Notable people

* Barry Davis - member of the 1984 and 1988 Olympics winning silver in ‘84. * Curt Bader - member of the 1988 and 1996 Olympic Kayak teams *

Clem Beauchamp Clement Hoyt "Clem" Beauchamp (August 26, 1898 – November 14, 1992), also known as Jerry Drew in his acting career during the 1920s and 1930s, first worked as a second unit director in 1935, netting the Academy Award for Best Assistant Directo ...

- early motion picture actor; Academy Award winner * Smith Wildman Brookhart -

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

* Cyrus Bussey - Civil War Major General; Assistant Secretary of the Interior * Beryl F. Carroll -

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

* George W. Clarke -

* Samuel O. Dunn - journalist; transportation specialist * Cora Bussey Hillis - Children's rights advocate * L.D. Hotchkiss - former editor-in-chief, ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' * John A. Hull - Major General; Judge Advocate General of the Army (1924–1928) * John A.T. Hull - Iowa Secretary of State, Lt. Governor of Iowa * Augustin Reed Humphrey -

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from Nebraska * John Henry Kyl -

Jon Kyl Jon Llewellyn Kyl ( ; born April 25, 1942) is an American politician and lobbyist who served as a United States Senator for Arizona from 1995 to 2013. Following the death of John McCain in 2018, Kyl briefly returned to the Senate; his resignatio ...

from Arizona * Irvin S. Pepper -

* Bertha Eaton Raffetto - composer of ''

Home Means Nevada "Home Means Nevada" is the state anthem of the U.S. state of Nevada. It was written by Bertha Raffetto in 1932 and officially adopted by the Nevada Legislature in 1933 as the official List of U.S. state songs, state song. Lyrics Way out in the l ...

'' * C. William Ramseyer -

* Johnny Rawlings - major league baseball player * Jack Reno - country singer, songwriter and disc jockey * Kevin Ritz - major league pitcher * Walter A. Sheaffer - founder of the Sheaffer Pen Company * Erastus J. Turner -

from Kansas * James Weaver -

References

External links

Official City WebsiteBloomfield Main Street
{{authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Davis County, Iowa County seats in Iowa