Carlisle, Iowa
Encyclopedia
Carlisle is a city in Warren and Polk
counties in the U.S. state
of Iowa
. The population was 3,497 at the 2000 census
. The city is part of the Des Moines
–West Des Moines
Metropolitan Statistical Area
.
The city received considerable media attention in 1997 when Carlisle residents Kenny and Bobbi McCaughey became the parents of the world's first surviving set of septuplets
.
and was located at Keokuk’s Bend on the Des Moines River, approximately 3 miles east of present day Carlisle. Dudley was founded by John Griffin, the Assistant Surgeon of the Fort Des Moines Dragoons and laid out by Jeremiah Church in February, 1846 several months before the City of Fort Des Moines was first laid out in July, 1846. Dudley was destroyed by the great Flood of 1851
. That same year the settlement was relocated to the present site of Carlisle and surveyed by James Laverty for Jeremiah Church and Daniel Moore on the Moore homestead. The original town plat was the area bounded by School Street (then called South Street) on the south, Garfield Street (then called East Street) on the east, Elm Street (then called North Street) on the north and Fourth Street on the west. It was renamed Carlisle, after the city of the same name in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.
During the 1860s the Iowa and Minnesota Railroad acquired right of way for a planned railroad line from Des Moines to the state line and eventually to Kansas City. The right of way was transferred to the Des Moines, Indianola and Missouri Railroad Company which constructed a line from Des Moines through Carlisle to Indianola in 1871. A branch to Winterset was added in 1872. These lines were consolidated into the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway Company in 1880.
In 1912-13 the Saint Paul and Kansas City Short Line Railroad Company established the short line junction at Dean Avenue and SE 18th Street in Des Moines and constructed another line south through Carlisle. It extended through Hartford and Beech to Allerton, Iowa and became known as the short line between Des Moines and Kansas City. It was leased to the Rock Island and eventually consolidated into the Rock Island system in 1948. During the 1950s it was the route of the Twin Star Rocket passenger train between the Twin Cities and Houston. The Winterset branch was abandoned in 1958. Although the Indianola branch was abandoned in 1998, it was successfully rail-banked and converted into the Summerset bicycle/pedestrian trail. The Rock Island went bankrupt in 1979 and the Chicago and North Western Railroad acquired the main line. The CNW merged with the Union Pacific Railroad in 1995. The UP currently operates 12 to 15 trains daily through Carlisle and the line is known as the “spine line” because it parallels the spine of the North American continent.
Carlisle’s original downtown was located on Market Street between 1st and 3rd Street but with the coming of the railroad in 1871, it was moved to its present location along School and First Streets. As the settlement began to grow the Bank of Carlisle was founded in 1895 and by the early 20th century, general stores, drugstores, hardware stores, livery stables, a hotel, a bakery, a barber shop, a doctor’s office, a harness shop, a blacksmith shop and other businesses.
The first industry in the area was the Parmelee Lumber and Flour Mill which was built in 1843 at the foot of Watts Hill on the Middle River just east of Carlisle and operated into the 1870s. This mill provided lumber and shingles for the original buildings at Fort Des Moines. The Keeney Hoover mill was established near the original highway ford on the North River in the 1840s. The Carlisle Grist Mill which later became the Nicholson Flouring Mill was established in 1856 just east of downtown. The Nicholson Mill later burned to the ground in the great fire of 1888.
Another major industry took advantage of the clay deposits along the North River. McKissick Brick and Tile operated on the west side of the tracks from 1908 to 1930 and Carlisle Brick and Tile operated on the east side of the tracks from 1936 into the 1960s. In the 1950s the Heartland Coop grain elevator and the General Mills flour mill and packaged foods plant were established at Avon and later annexed into Carlisle.
The current city administrator of Carlisle is Neil Ruddy, who has held the post since 1997.
and Middle
Rivers, near their confluences with the Des Moines River
. According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 4.3 square miles (11.2 km²).None of the area is covered with water.
The Summerset Trail
has its northern terminus at Carlisle.
of 2000, there were 3,497 people, 1,338 households, and 974 families residing in the city. The population density
was 807.8 people per square mile (311.8/km²). There were 1,379 housing units at an average density of 318.6 per square mile (123.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.06% White, 0.17% African American, 0.34% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.49% from other races
, and 0.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.14% of the population.
There were 1,338 households out of which 38.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.0% were married couples
living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.2% were non-families. 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.6% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 89.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $47,528, and the median income for a family was $53,924. Males had a median income of $39,286 versus $26,162 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $19,467. About 2.8% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.5% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.
Polk County, Iowa
Polk County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 430,640 in the 2010 census, an increase from 374,601 in the 2000 census. The county seat is Des Moines, which is also the capital city of Iowa...
counties in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
. The population was 3,497 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
. The city is part of the Des Moines
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
–West Des Moines
West Des Moines, Iowa
West Des Moines is a city in Polk, Dallas, and Warren counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 46,403; a special census taken in the spring of 2005 counted 51,744 residents and the United States Census Bureau estimated that 53,889 residents lived there in...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Des Moines metropolitan area
The Des Moines metropolitan area, officially known as the Des Moines-West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area , consists of five counties in central Iowa, United States: Polk, Dallas, Warren, Madison, and Guthrie...
.
The city received considerable media attention in 1997 when Carlisle residents Kenny and Bobbi McCaughey became the parents of the world's first surviving set of septuplets
McCaughey septuplets
The McCaughey septuplets are a set of septuplets born to Kenny and Bobbi McCaughey in Des Moines, Iowa, United States.-Biography:...
.
History
The original settlement in the Carlisle area was called DudleyDudley, Iowa
Dudley is the name of two ghost towns in Iowa, United States. One Dudley in Wapello County, one in Polk County.-Wapello County:Both 1908 and 1920 surveys of northwestern Wapello County have a post office located here...
and was located at Keokuk’s Bend on the Des Moines River, approximately 3 miles east of present day Carlisle. Dudley was founded by John Griffin, the Assistant Surgeon of the Fort Des Moines Dragoons and laid out by Jeremiah Church in February, 1846 several months before the City of Fort Des Moines was first laid out in July, 1846. Dudley was destroyed by the great Flood of 1851
Flood of 1851
The Great Flood of 1851 occurred after record-setting rainfalls across the U.S. Midwest and Plains from May to August, 1851. Hardest hit was the State of Iowa, with significant flooding extending to the Lower Mississippi River basin. Historical evidence suggest flooding occurred in the eastern...
. That same year the settlement was relocated to the present site of Carlisle and surveyed by James Laverty for Jeremiah Church and Daniel Moore on the Moore homestead. The original town plat was the area bounded by School Street (then called South Street) on the south, Garfield Street (then called East Street) on the east, Elm Street (then called North Street) on the north and Fourth Street on the west. It was renamed Carlisle, after the city of the same name in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.
During the 1860s the Iowa and Minnesota Railroad acquired right of way for a planned railroad line from Des Moines to the state line and eventually to Kansas City. The right of way was transferred to the Des Moines, Indianola and Missouri Railroad Company which constructed a line from Des Moines through Carlisle to Indianola in 1871. A branch to Winterset was added in 1872. These lines were consolidated into the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway Company in 1880.
In 1912-13 the Saint Paul and Kansas City Short Line Railroad Company established the short line junction at Dean Avenue and SE 18th Street in Des Moines and constructed another line south through Carlisle. It extended through Hartford and Beech to Allerton, Iowa and became known as the short line between Des Moines and Kansas City. It was leased to the Rock Island and eventually consolidated into the Rock Island system in 1948. During the 1950s it was the route of the Twin Star Rocket passenger train between the Twin Cities and Houston. The Winterset branch was abandoned in 1958. Although the Indianola branch was abandoned in 1998, it was successfully rail-banked and converted into the Summerset bicycle/pedestrian trail. The Rock Island went bankrupt in 1979 and the Chicago and North Western Railroad acquired the main line. The CNW merged with the Union Pacific Railroad in 1995. The UP currently operates 12 to 15 trains daily through Carlisle and the line is known as the “spine line” because it parallels the spine of the North American continent.
Carlisle’s original downtown was located on Market Street between 1st and 3rd Street but with the coming of the railroad in 1871, it was moved to its present location along School and First Streets. As the settlement began to grow the Bank of Carlisle was founded in 1895 and by the early 20th century, general stores, drugstores, hardware stores, livery stables, a hotel, a bakery, a barber shop, a doctor’s office, a harness shop, a blacksmith shop and other businesses.
The first industry in the area was the Parmelee Lumber and Flour Mill which was built in 1843 at the foot of Watts Hill on the Middle River just east of Carlisle and operated into the 1870s. This mill provided lumber and shingles for the original buildings at Fort Des Moines. The Keeney Hoover mill was established near the original highway ford on the North River in the 1840s. The Carlisle Grist Mill which later became the Nicholson Flouring Mill was established in 1856 just east of downtown. The Nicholson Mill later burned to the ground in the great fire of 1888.
Another major industry took advantage of the clay deposits along the North River. McKissick Brick and Tile operated on the west side of the tracks from 1908 to 1930 and Carlisle Brick and Tile operated on the east side of the tracks from 1936 into the 1960s. In the 1950s the Heartland Coop grain elevator and the General Mills flour mill and packaged foods plant were established at Avon and later annexed into Carlisle.
The current city administrator of Carlisle is Neil Ruddy, who has held the post since 1997.
Geography
Carlisle is located at 41°30′4"N 93°29′25"W (41.501203, -93.490351), between the NorthNorth River (Iowa)
The North River is a tributary of the Des Moines River in south-central Iowa in the United States. It is long and drains an area of . Via the Des Moines River, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River....
and Middle
Middle River (Iowa)
The Middle River is a tributary of the Des Moines River in south-central Iowa in the United States. It is long and drains an area of . Via the Des Moines River, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River....
Rivers, near their confluences with the Des Moines River
Des Moines River
The Des Moines River is a tributary river of the Mississippi River, approximately long to its farther headwaters, in the upper Midwestern United States...
. According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 4.3 square miles (11.2 km²).None of the area is covered with water.
The Summerset Trail
Summerset Trail
The Summerset Trail is a rail trail in Warren County in south-central Iowa in the United States.The trail is long and is paved with asphalt. It follows the route of an abandoned rail line between the cities of Carlisle at its northeastern end and Indianola at the southwest...
has its northern terminus at Carlisle.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 3,497 people, 1,338 households, and 974 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 807.8 people per square mile (311.8/km²). There were 1,379 housing units at an average density of 318.6 per square mile (123.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.06% White, 0.17% African American, 0.34% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.49% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.14% of the population.
There were 1,338 households out of which 38.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.0% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.2% were non-families. 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.6% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 89.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $47,528, and the median income for a family was $53,924. Males had a median income of $39,286 versus $26,162 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $19,467. About 2.8% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.5% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.