Hartwick is a former townsite located in
Delhi Township, Delaware County, Iowa, United States.
Geography
The community was situated on the
Maquoketa River, at the intersection of 220th Avenue, southwest of
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
.
History
Early years
The Hartwick post office opened on January 1, 1853, and operated until September 24, 1861. It was reestablished on June 12, 1872, but permanently closed on December 10 of the same year.
John W. Clark founded and
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 Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...
ted Hartwick in Section 30 of Delhi Township in December 1858. Clark had previously built a
saw mill
A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...
in 1849 and a
flour mill
A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that has been separat ...
in 1853. In 1855, John Whitman opened a blacksmith shop in Hartwick, followed by a cobbler, a brickyard, and a paint shop. The Hartwick Bridge, a bowstring through truss bridge, crossed the river adjacent to Furman's Mill.
Decline
By the turn of the century, Hartwick's heyday had ended. The community's founder, John Clark, departed in 1861, with several others following. Clark's house was subsequently leased to the county as a
poor farm
A poorhouse or workhouse is a government-run (usually by a county or municipality) facility to support and provide housing for the dependent or needy.
Workhouses
In England, Wales and Ireland (but not in Scotland), "workhouse" has been the more ...
.
By 1914, a county history referred to Hartwick as a "forgotten village".
Hartwick continued to appear on maps throughout the early 20th century, though with decreasing frequency.
Today, the site of Hartwick is marked by the replacement Hartwick Bridge spanning the river. Additionally, there is a marina named Hartwick Marina and the Hartwick Amish General Store in the area.
See also
York, Iowa
References
Geography of Delaware County, Iowa
Ghost towns in Iowa
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