Louisa County, Iowa

Founding: 1836
Parent county: Des Moines

Namesake: Unclear—perhaps Louisa County, Virginia
Seat: Wapello (1838–)

Land area: 402 square miles

Population (2020): 10,837

Population (historic): 4,939 (1850); 12,877 (1870); 11,873 (1890); 12,855 (1910); 11,575 (1930)

Periods of population growth: pre-1850–1880; 1890s; 1960–1980; 1990s

Subdivisions: Nine cities; 12 townships

National Register listings: Nine

Pre-1940 residences (estimated): 1,840 (36.5%)
Pre-1940 housing survival rate: 57.5%
Pre-1860 housing survival rate (1940): 5%

Farm housing in disrepair (1950): 8.5%

Nonfarm housing in disrepair (1950): 9.3%

Average farmhouse value (1930): $2,183
Average outbuilding value (1930): $2,423
Average farmhouse size (1940): 6.5 rooms
Number of farms (1920): 1,470
Average farm size (1920): 126.8 acres
Sources of settlement: Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Illinois
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Wapello

Namesake: Wapello, Meskwaki chief

Founding: 1837 (platting); 1837 (post office); 1856 (incorporation)

Population (2020): 2,084

Population (historic): 336 (1850); 870 (1870); 1,009 (1890); 1,326 (1910); 1,502 (1930)

Periods of population growth: 1837–1900; 1910–1950; 1960–2000; 2010s
Pre-1940 residences (estimated): 301 (34.7%)
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Outstanding Buildings

1. *Francis Springer Farm (c. 1870). 12925 Road X17. Columbus City. Italianate. Razed.
2. House (c. 1875). 13603 Road X17. Columbus City. Gothic Revival.
3. Benjamin Stoddard Farm (c. 1855). 12856 Q Road. Columbus City.
4. *Wesley Garner House (c. 1855). 2309 Spring Street. Columbus City. Italianate.
5. James Brockway Farm (c. 1915). 15817 L Road. Grandview. Craftsman.
6. Josiah Vertrees Farm (c. 1855). 3036 N Road. Morning Sun.
7. *Bethel Methodist Church (1855). 35th Road, west of US Highway 61. Wapello. Greek Revival.
8. Sylvanus Dunham Farm (c. 1860). 17869 100th Road. Wapello. Italianate.