Mystic is a city in Appanoose County,

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 ...

, United States. The population was 322 at the time of the 2020 census.

History

At the end of the 19th century, "the valley of Walnut Creek was one continuous

mining camp A mining community, also known as a mining town or a mining camp, is a community that houses miners. Mining communities are usually created around a mine or a quarry. Historical mining communities Australia * Ballarat, Victoria * Bendig ...

, known under different names, Jerome, Diamond, Mystic, Clarkdale, Rathbun and Darby" (later known as Darbyville).H. Foster Bain, Geology of Appanoose County
Iowa Geological Survey Annual Report, 1895
Conway, Des Moines, 1896; page 389. The present name is derived from

Mystic, Connecticut Mystic is a village and census-designated place (CDP) in Groton and Stonington, Connecticut, United States. Mystic was a significant Connecticut seaport with more than 600 ships built over 135 years starting in 1784. Mystic Seaport, located in ...

. A. M. Elgin opened the first coal mine in the Mystic area in 1857, about 1.5 miles north of Mystic on Little Walnut Creek. The Mystic coal seam was exposed on the surface there, and drifts were opened and abandoned over the next few decades until the hills were honeycombed with mines. In 1858, Isaac Fuller opened a large mine in Mystic, shipping coal for domestic use in nearby Centerville. In 1887, the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway built a line through Mystic, leading to an explosive growth in mining. By 1893, there were 14 mines in Mystic and 2 in Brazil, just to the south. It is noteworthy that the terms ''brass'', ''brazzle'' and ''brazil'' are English dialect terms for

pyrite The mineral pyrite ( ), or iron pyrite, also known as fool's gold, is an iron sulfide with the chemical formula Fe S2 (iron (II) disulfide). Pyrite is the most abundant sulfide mineral. Pyrite's metallic luster and pale brass-yellow hue ...

or to coal seams with significant pyrite content and that a shale layer not far above the Mystic coal seam in Mystic and Brazil contains significant pyrite. Local Assembly 3335 of the

Knights of Labor The Knights of Labor (K of L), officially the Noble and Holy Order of the Knights of Labor, was the largest American labor movement of the 19th century, claiming for a time nearly one million members. It operated in the United States as well in ...

was based in Brazil and had a membership of 75 in 1884. The miners of Mystic and Brazil joined the

United Mine Workers The United Mine Workers of America (UMW or UMWA) is a North American Labor history of the United States, labor union best known for representing coal miners. Today, the Union also represents health care workers, truck drivers, manufacturing work ...

in 1898. By 1902, Local 201 in Brazil had 220 members and Local 634 in Mystic had 569 members. By 1912, Local 201 had 370 members and Locals 239 and 634 in Mystic had a combined membership of 851. The total UMWA membership in 1912 represents about 1/4 of the entire population. In 1914, the Lodwick Brothers Coal Company of Mystic produced over 100,000 tons of coal, ranking among the top 24 coal producers in the state.

Geography

Mystic is located in the valley of Walnut Creek, approximately four miles southwest of its confluence with the Chariton River. 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 , all land.

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 322 people, 149 households, and 85 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 110.7 inhabitants per square mile (42.7/km²). There were 183 housing units at an average density of 62.9 per square mile (24.3/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 96.6%

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 ...

, 0.0% Black or African American, 1.2% Native American, 0.0% 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 ...

, 0.0% from other races and 2.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino persons of any race comprised 1.2% of the population. Of the 149 households, 24.8% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.6% 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, 7.4% were cohabitating couples, 27.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 29.5% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 43.0% of all households were non-families. 36.9% of all households were made up of individuals, 17.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 46.8 years. 21.7% of the residents were under the age of 20; 4.7% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 21.1% were from 25 and 44; 31.1% were from 45 and 64; and 21.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.9% male and 48.1% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 425 people, 181 households, and 112 families residing in the city. The

was . There were 210 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.8%

, 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 ...

, 0.7% from other races, and 0.2% 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 1.9% of the population. There were 181 households, of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.1% were

living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 10.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.1% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age in the city was 39.9 years. 23.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.8% were from 25 to 44; 28.2% were from 45 to 64; and 14.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.1% male and 48.9% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 588 people, 236 households, and 159 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 273 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.15%

, 0.17% Native American, and 0.68% from two or more races. There were 236 households, out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.1% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.6% were non-families. 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.99. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.3% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $25,568, and the median income for a family was $29,063. Males had a median income of $26,964 versus $18,500 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,846. About 22.3% of families and 22.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.2% of those under age 18 and 15.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Centerville Community School District operates area

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

schools.

References

External links

City-Data
Comprehensive statistical data and more about Mystic {{authority control Cities in Appanoose County, Iowa Cities in Iowa 1857 establishments in Iowa Populated places established in 1857