Whittier is an
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
in
Linn 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.
Geography
Whittier is located at the intersections of County Roads X20 and E34 south of
Waubeek and west of
Viola
The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...
, at 42.092976N, -91.462973W.
History
Whittier was founded as a
Quaker
Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...
community. Originally known as Quaker Corners, the community was founded in
Brown Township.
The original meetinghouse in Whittier was constructed in 1864, and this building also served as a schoolhouse until 1878. The replacement building, the
Whittier Friends Meeting House, was built directly in front of the original building, and was constructed in 1893.
It is listed on 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 ...
.
A schoolhouse was built in 1878. In 1893, a general store was opened by the Hall family, who also operated the post office. The village was renamed to Whittier in honor of the Quaker poet and
abolitionist
Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world.
The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...
John Greenleaf Whittier
John Greenleaf Whittier (December 17, 1807 – September 7, 1892) was an American Quaker poet and advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. Frequently listed as one of the fireside poets, he was influenced by the Scottish poet ...
.
Whittier's population was 28 in 1902, In 1918, a community hall was built in Whittier.
The population was 100 in 1940.
The Quaker school and the post office and the post office closed in the 1950s.
In 2008, the Linn County Planning and Development Commission announced a planning document to guide the development of Whittier; this plan included limited growth, including acknowledgement and reflection of the community's Quaker heritage.
See also
*
West Branch, Iowa
West Branch is a city in Cedar and Johnson counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 2,509 as of the 2020 census. It is the birthplace of the only American president born in Iowa, Herbert Hoover.
The Johnson County portion of West ...
, another Quaker community
References
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Unincorporated communities in Linn County, Iowa
Unincorporated communities in Iowa