Towns of Jasper County, Iowa

MOTT

Posted By: JCGS Volunteer
Date: 5/28/2026 at 13:28:04

Towns of Jasper County, Iowa
Historical Data Collected; Area Name Origins, Early Towns Revealed
Abandoned Towns, Villages and Post Offices of Jasper County by David C. Mott
Adamsonville – In the western part of Buena Vista Township. Post office, 1877-78
Baxter – The post office of Baxter was in existence from as early as 1873 and was located about one mile southwest of the present town of Baxter. On the establishment of the latter in 1883 the post office was removed to the new town.
Bush – Listed in the U.S. Official Register of 1859 as a post office in Jasper County, and thought to have been in the vicinity of the present railroad station of Metz.
Carr – The post office from 1851 to 1855 at what later became Vandalia, which see below.
Clyde – A village in the central part of section 11, Clear Creek Township. Platted in 1857. Post office, 1859-1903.
Dairy Grove – In the east section 24 of Elk Creek Township. Post office, 1857.
Dawson – In section 15, Independence Township as shown on maps of 1868 and 1869. It was succeeded by Independence Center, which see below.
Dixie – The former name of Turner, which see below.
Draper – A former mining camp in the east section 34 of Fairview Township, about four miles east of Monroe. Post office, 1881-87.
Elk Creek in the north Central part of Elk Creek Township. Post office, 1853.
Elliott – the name of the present town of Prairie City for the first year or two of its existence. It was platted as Elliott in 1856.
Farmersville – Platted in 1876 on ground east of and adjacent to the location of the present hamlet and railway station of Metz. It had a post office for a brief time, but was changed to Metz in 1878.
Goddard – A station on the former Newton & Northwestern Railroad in the northeast corner of Section 29, Sherman Township.
Greencastle – A town in the northern part of section 14, Poweshiek Township, platted in 1855 and prosperous in its day Post office, 1857-1900. A few houses still there.
Horn – In section 23 Malaka Township. Post office 1869-89.
Independence Center – A post office in 1871 near the center of Independence Township, the successor of Dawson (see above) and the predecessor of Baxter, which see above.
Jasper City – The name first given to what is now the town of Kellogg. It was platted in 1865 and the name changed to Kellogg in 1873.
Monroe City – Located about midway between the towns of Monroe and Prairie City, partly in Des Moines and partly in Fairview Townships, and is now penetrated by the Des Moines Valley branch of the C.R.I. & P. Ry. It was platted in 1847, the intention being to make it the capital of the state.
Morristown - Listed in the 1855 U.S. Official Register as a post office in Jasper County, and thought to have been in the vicinity of the later station of Oswalt, which see below, but not found on the maps of that period.
Newton City – The original name of the present city of Newton. It was platted in 1846 and the name changed in Newton in 1847
North Skunk River – A post office in section 4, Richland Township (1855-59), near the stream of the same name.
Oswalt – A station on the former Colfax & Northern Railroad, in section 33, Poweshiek Township. Post office, 1889-93.
Palmyra – In the northern part of Independence Township, as found on maps of 1856 to 1862.
Parkersburg – In the north central part of Mound Prairie Township and near the south side of South Skunk River. Post office, 1851-59.
Pleasant View – In section 35, Kellogg Township. Post office, 1859-1863.
PrairieBelle – In section 32, Washington Township. Post office 1900-1903.
Quincy – A name given to what later became the town of Vandalia, which see below.
Rushville – A village platted in 1857 in the northeast corner of section 9, Kellogg Township.
Seevers – A coal mining town about three miles southeast of Colfax. Post office, 1903-14.
Sugar Creek – In the southeastern part of Richland Township. Post office, 1862-71.
Tool’s Point – The name first given to the present town of Monroe. It was platted in 1850 as Tool’s Point, and the post office received the same name, but the change was made to Monroe a year or two later.
Turner – A former station on the C.R.I. & P. Railway in Rock Creek Township.
Vandalia – A village in the southwest portion of section 20, Des Moines Township. It was laid out in 1853 and was prosperous in the 1860’s. Post office, 1857-1903.
Vowells – The name by which Farmersville (which see above) was first shown on the maps.
Warren Grove – Listed in the U.S. Official Register as a post office in Jasper County from 1869 to 1871, but not found on the maps of that period.
Williamsville – Listed in the 1869 U.S. Official Register as a post office in Jasper County, and thought to have been in the neighborhood of Woodville, which see below.
Woodville – A station on the Des Moines Valley Railroad in the western part of Washington Township, as shown on maps from 1868 to 1878.
Wittemburg – In the eastern part of section 3, Newton Township, about four miles north of the city of Newton. It was platted in 1856, and the Wittemburg Manual Labor College was established there. A Congregational church still remains.
From David C. Mott, “Abandoned Towns, Villages and Post Offices of Iowa,” Annals of Iowa, XVII, Series 3 (January 1931), pg 541-43. Reprinted by permission of Annals of Iowa and Judith Gildner.

Jasper County Place Names by Harold E. Dilts, Kathleen Ann Dilts and Linda Jo Dilts
Jasper County was named for Sergeant William Jasper of the Revolutionary War.
Baxter, Jasper County, was named after a postmaster, Sidney Baxter Higgins. He first suggested Sidney as the name but since there was already one town by that name he was asked for a different one. He then submitted Baxter. It was once called Independence Center.
Colfax, Jasper County, was named for Schuyler Colfax, Speaker of the House at the time and later, Vice President f the United States.
Kellogg, Jasper County, at one time had three names: Kellogg, Kimball and Jasper City.
Lynnville, Jasper County, derives its name from Lynn Grove Township where it is located.
Mingo, Jasper County, was named after Mingo, Ohio. It is of Indian origin.
Monroe, Jasper County, was laid out by Adam Tool and was first called Tool’s Point. It was later changed to Monroe to honor President Monroe.
Newton, Jasper County, was named for a Revolutionary soldier, Sergeant Newton, who served under General Marion with Sergeant Jasper for whom the county was named.
Prairie City, Jasper County, was platted by James Elliott and was first named Elliott. Prairie is a common root word used in the naming of towns. At one time there were twenty-two combinations in Iowa alone.
Reasoner, Jasper County, received its name because of the large number of landowners by that name who lived in the area.
From Harold E. Dilts, Kathleen Ann Dilts and Linda Jo Dilts. From Ackley to Swingle; a collection of the origins of town place names (Ames, Ia.; Carter Press, Inc. 1975) pp. 6, 19,30,56, 66, 71, 72, 76, 85, 86. Reprinted by permission of Harold E. Dilts.
Source: The Newton (IA) Daily News; Friday, 02 July 1976, page 14, col 1