Mount Pleasant is a city in 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 Henry County in the U.S. state of

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

. The population was 9,274 in the 2020 census, an increase from 8,668 in the 2010 census. It was founded in 1835 by pioneer Presley Saunders.

History

The first permanent settlement at Mount Pleasant was made in 1833. Mount Pleasant was incorporated as a town in 1842, and again in 1851. In 1869, Mount Pleasant was the site of a

solar eclipse A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the view of the Sun from a small part of Earth, totally or partially. Such an alignment occurs approximately every six months, during the eclipse season i ...

expedition, under the command of James Craig Watson and sponsored by ''National Almanac.'' The total solar eclipse occurred on August 7, 1869. In the Union Block building in 1869, Arabella A. Mansfield became the first woman in the United States to be awarded a license to practice law. She had passed the bar exam with high scores and won a court case for entry to the bar. The legislature changed its statute. The third floor of the Union Block housed the Opera House or Union Hall, a gathering place for the community. It attracted national speakers on tour, including abolitionists Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, and Anna Dickinson. James Harlan also spoke there, as he was president of Iowa Wesleyan College in the town, and later was elected several times to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

. This building had been considered one of the most endangered historic sites in Iowa. The Mount Pleasant Mental Health Institute was built in 1861. However, in 1936, a fire did great damage to the original building. Beginning in 1976, many of the hospital facilities were transferred to the Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility, which still occupies the campus. The hospital itself was closed in 2015. On December 10, 1986, Ralph Orin Davis, a resident, walked into a city council meeting and shot Mayor Edward King and two council members. Mayor King died of his wounds after being shot point blank in the head. The 69-year-old gunman had attended a couple of previous meetings, complaining about a backed-up sewer and wanting the city to pay for damages to his house. The two council members were seriously wounded. Tom Vilsack became the replacement mayor, later serving as Governor of Iowa for 8 years, and then Secretary of Agriculture under the Obama and Biden administrations. MT PLEASANT CITY HALL-1

Geography

Mount Pleasant is in central Henry County at the intersection of US Routes 218 and 34.''Iowa Atlas & Gazetteer,'' DeLorme, 7th Edition, 2021, p. 61 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. Mount Pleasant's

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 ...

is estimated at 1,123 people per square mile, which is considered low for urban areas.

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 9,274 people, 3,218 households, and 1,926 families residing in the city. The

was 1,074.8 inhabitants per square mile (415.0/km²). There were 3,501 housing units at an average density of 405.8 per square mile (156.7/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 80.7%

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 ...

, 4.9% Black or African American, 0.5% Native American, 4.2% 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 ...

, 3.8% from other races and 5.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino persons of any race comprised 8.7% of the population. Of the 3,218 households, 27.1% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% 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, 6.9% were cohabitating couples, 30.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 19.7% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 40.1% of all households were non-families. 35.0% of all households were made up of individuals, 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 36.8 years. 22.7% of the residents were under the age of 20; 10.2% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 26.7% were from 25 and 44; 22.7% were from 45 and 64; and 17.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 54.2% male and 45.8% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 8,668 people, 3,127 households, and 1,935 families living in the city. The

was . There were 3,365 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 85.7%

, 4.3%

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 ...

, 0.4% Native American, 4.4% Asian, 0.3%

, 2.4% from other races, and 2.5% 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 6.7% of the population. There were 3,127 households, of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.1% were

living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.1% were non-families. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age in the city was 37.3 years. 21.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 12.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.5% were from 25 to 44; 24.8% were from 45 to 64; and 15.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 52.7% male and 47.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 8,751 people, 3,119 households, and 1,940 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 3,355 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 90.46%

, 3.19%

, 0.32% Native American, 3.53% Asian, 0.06%

, 0.73% from other races, and 1.71% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.79% of the population. There were 3,119 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% were

living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 3.01. Age spread: 22.5% under the age of 18, 11.6% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 110.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 113.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $35,558, and the median income for a family was $46,063. Males had a median income of $31,524 versus $22,628 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 $16,824. About 8.3% of families and 10.2% 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 11.5% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Mount Pleasant is also home to the Midwest Old Thresher's Reunion which attracts a crowd numbering over 100,000 admissions annually during an extended five-day weekend which ends on Labor Day. The reunion dates back to 1950 and pays tribute to the agricultural heritage of the American Midwest in an extensive, highly interactive manner, with live-action exhibition-style displays centering on restored mechanical equipment, particularly steam engines, farm tractors, stationary gas engines, antique and classic cars, the narrow-gauge Midwest Central Railroad, and electric trolleys.

Economy

Mount Pleasant is home to manufacturing, distribution and

agribusiness Agribusiness is the industry, enterprises, and the field of study of value chains in agriculture and in the bio-economy, in which case it is also called bio-business or bio-enterprise. The primary goal of agribusiness is to maximize profit ...

companies. The more prominent businesses are Wal-Mart Distribution Center, Lomont Molding, Innovaire, Continental ContiTech, Ceco Building Systems and West Liberty Foods. Henry County Health Center, the Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility and Mount Pleasant Community School District are also larger employers for the city.

Education

Public schools

The public school system in Mount Pleasant is administered by the Mount Pleasant Community School District. The district oversees the high school, middle school and four elementary schools, Harlan, Lincoln, Salem, and Van Allen. The WisdomQuest Education Center serves as an alternative high school for the district.

Higher education

The city was home to Iowa Wesleyan University, which, founded in 1842, ranked as the oldest coeducational college/university west of the Mississippi River. The P.E.O. Sisterhood, an international philanthropic organization for women, was founded on the campus in Mount Pleasant by seven Iowa Wesleyan students.

Transportation

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Mount Pleasant, operating its ''

California Zephyr The ''California Zephyr'' is a Amtrak Long Distance, long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago, Illinois, Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area (at Emeryville station, Emeryville), via Omaha, Nebraska, Omaha, Denver, Sa ...

'' daily in both directions between

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, Illinois, and Emeryville, California, across the bay from

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. U.S. Route 34 bypasses Mount Pleasant to the north, while U.S. Route 218/ Iowa Highway 27 bypass the city to the east. These highways' former routes through the city are now designated as business routes. The Mount Pleasant Municipal Airport (FAA Identifier: MPZ) is at an elevation of 730 ft (222.5 m) and is located southeast of the city. The airport started operations in March 1945. it has 2 runways: Runway 15/33 is hard surfaced (asphalt) and is 4001 ft long × 75 ft wide (1220 m × 23 m) with runway edge lights; Runway 03/21 is turf and is 1965 ft long × 120 ft wide (599 m × 37 m) marked by yellow cones.

Notable people

* Eric Allender (born 1956) Computer Scientist * Warren Wallace Beckwith (1874–1955) - athlete, husband of

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

's granddaughter * Belle Coddington (1842-1920), American Civil War nurse, teacher in Mount Pleasant * Susan F. Ferree (1844-1919), journalist, temperance worker, suffragist, and women's rights activist * James Harlan (1820–1899) – politician, president of Iowa Wesleyan College * Mary Eunice Harlan (1846–1937) – daughter of James Harlan; wife of Robert Todd Lincoln * Dana Holgorsen – head coach for the

University of Houston The University of Houston (; ) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas, United States. It was established in 1927 as Houston Junior College, a coeducational institution and one of multiple junior colleges formed in ...

football team * Mike Leach (American football coach) (1961-2022) - American football coach, popularized the Air raid offense under Hal Mumme as the offensive coordinator at Iowa Wesleyan University * Leigh S. J. Hunt (1855–1933) – Superintendent of Schools in the 1880s * Rachelle Keck – president of Grand View University and Briar Cliff University * Henry Krieger-Coble (born 1992) – NFL tight end * Jessie Wilson Manning (1855-?) - author, lecturer * Arabella Mansfield (1846–1911) – first female lawyer in the United States * Harry F. Olson (1901-1982) - acoustical engineer at RCA Victor * Carolyn Pendray (1881–1958) - first woman elected to the Iowa General Assembly * Ricky Phillips (born 1952) - rock bassist with Styx; formerly with The Babys and

Bad English Bad English was an American/British hard rock supergroup formed in 1987. It reunited Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain with singer John Waite and bassist Ricky Phillips, his former bandmates in the Babys, along with Journey guitarist Ne ...

* Ab Saunders (1851–1883) - Wild west cowboy and outlaw * Frederick A. Shannon (1921–1965) – herpetologist * Newton J. Tharp (1867–1909) – architect, painter * Fred Truck (born 1946) – painter, sculptor * James Van Allen (1914–2006) – considered one of the country's foremost space scientists * Christie Vilsack (born 1950) – former first lady of

* Tom Vilsack (born 1950) – former Mount Pleasant mayor, former

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

, and US Secretary of Agriculture * Chris Voss – FBI hostage negotiator, author of Never Split the Difference * Peggy Whitson (born 1960) - retired

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

Chief Astronaut, holds the record for most cumulative days in space by an American, graduated from Iowa Wesleyan University in 1981

References

External links

*
Mount Pleasant Area Chamber Alliance
{{authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Henry County, Iowa 1842 establishments in Iowa Territory