Charles City, Iowa
Encyclopedia
Charles City is a city in Floyd County
Floyd County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 16,303 in the county, with a population density of . There were 7,526 housing units, of which 6,886 were occupied.-2000 census:...

, 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...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The population was 7,652 at the 2010 census a decrease of 160, or 2%, from 7,812 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 of Floyd County
Floyd County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 16,303 in the county, with a population density of . There were 7,526 housing units, of which 6,886 were occupied.-2000 census:...

. Charles City is a significant commercial and transportation center for the area, located on U.S. Highways 18 and 218, Iowa Highway 14, and the Canadian National and Iowa, Chicago and Eastern Railroads.

History

Located on the site of a Winnebago Indian village, Charles City was originally named “Charlestown” for the son of the first-known white settler to the area, Joseph Kelly. Upon his 1851 arrival to the area, Kelly envisioned the site, with its ample supply of water from the Cedar River and adjacent timberlands, as an ideal location for a town. By 1852, twenty-five other settler families had joined Kelly in that vision and a community was born. The town name changed, first to “St. Charles” and then to “Charles City,” to avoid duplication of other Iowa town names.

Charles City became the county seat after Floyd County was established in 1851 and officially organized in 1854. Floyd County itself was most likely named for Sergeant Charles Floyd of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Charles City is known for the role it played in the history of the American tractor
Tractor
A tractor is a vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery used in agriculture or construction...

. A native son Charles Walter Hart
Charles Walter Hart
Charles Walter Hart was born in Charles City, Floyd County, Iowa in 1872. His company, Hart-Parr Gasoline Engine Company, known as the "founders of the tractor industry", coined the word tractor....

, whose father owned three local farms, met Charles H. Parr in college. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...

, Hart and Parr developed a two-cylinder gasoline engine and set up their business in Charles City in 1897. It was here in 1901 the term "tractor" with Latin roots and a combination of the words traction and power was first coined by Hart and Parr. In 1903 the firm built fifteen "tractors", the first successful production-model tractor line in the U.S. The 14,000 pound #3 is the oldest surviving internal combustion engine tractor in the United States and is on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington D.C. In 1929, Hart-Parr was one of the four companies that merged to form Oliver Farm Equipment Company
Oliver Farm Equipment Company
The Oliver Farm Equipment Company was an American farm equipment manufacturer from the 20th century. It was formed as a the result of a 1929 merger of four companies: the American Seeding Machine Company of Richmond, Indiana, Oliver Chilled Plow Works of South Bend, Indiana, Hart-Parr Tractor...

 and finally the White Farm-New Idea Equipment Co
White Farm Equipment
White Farm Equipment is a brand of agricultural machinery, now discontinued except for planter, and owned by AGCO.-History:In 1960, the White Motor Company entered the agriculture market with the purchase of the Oliver Farm Equipment Company. In 1962, White acquired the Cockshutt Farm Equipment...

. At its peak in the mid-1970s, the sprawling plant complex encompassed 23 acres and employed nearly 3,000 workers. The 1980s farm crisis and other economic pressures led to the closing of the plant in 1993. As of 2010, the vacant site stands ready for re-use.
Although more famously known for producing tractors, the Hart-Parr company also made some of the first washing machines. Selling for $155.00 in the 1920s, the buyer had the option of ordering either an electric or gasoline engine

The Floyd County Historical Museum preserves the plant’s history and memories in an extensive collection of documents and artifacts.

Charles City is the location of the last lynching
Lynching
Lynching is an extrajudicial execution carried out by a mob, often by hanging, but also by burning at the stake or shooting, in order to punish an alleged transgressor, or to intimidate, control, or otherwise manipulate a population of people. It is related to other means of social control that...

 in Iowa, that of James Cullen in 1907.

National women’s rights leader Carrie Lane Chapman Catt
Carrie Chapman Catt
Carrie Chapman Catt was a women's suffrage leader who campaigned for the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution which gave U.S. women the right to vote in 1920...

 spent her girlhood years on a farm south of Charles City. Catt is well known as a prominent leader of the woman's suffrage movement and her efforts in helping to pass the 19th Amendment
Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits any United States citizen to be denied the right to vote based on sex. It was ratified on August 18, 1920....

 ratified on August 18, 1920, granting women the right to vote. Carrie Catt was also the founder of the League of Women Voters
League of Women Voters
The League of Women Voters is an American political organization founded in 1920 by Carrie Chapman Catt during the last meeting of the National American Woman Suffrage Association approximately six months before the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution gave women the right to vote...

. Her home and a visitor’s center are open for public viewing.

On June 9, 2008, record flooding caused major damage in the town. Charles City's historic suspension bridge, which crossed over the Cedar River, collapsed as well as destroyed numerous homes around the city. The City of Charles City has since received FEMA and state funding for a brand new bridge in place of the old suspension bridge. According to news reports by KCHA Radio and the Charles City Press, the new bridge will open in early 2010.

Charles City is the location of the Dr. Alvin L. Miller House
Alvin Miller House
The Alvin Miller House, also known as Dietrich House, is a Frank Lloyd Wright designed Usonian home that was constructed in Charles City, Iowa in 1946. Located on the bank of the Cedar River, this single-story home features a two-level flat roof that allows for clerestory windows.-References:*...

, a Usonia
Usonia
Usonia was a word used by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright to refer to his vision for the landscape of the United States, including the planning of cities and the architecture of buildings...

n home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...

.

Tornados

Charles City has been devastated by tornadoes many times in its history. Charles City Tonado Facebook Page

In the summer of 1858 (possibly July 21) while still a village called St. Charles a "Terrific Tornado" was recorded. Although there was no deaths recorded the property value of buildings destroyed was into the thousands of dollars (1858 dollars), and the loss of crops was "must be beyond competation" according to the newspaper account.

In June 1908 (possibly June 7) a tornado destroyed or substantially damaged around 200 homes and barns. Residents W. R. Beck and a child were killed. The path of the tornado ran through the southeast part of the city missing the business district. Loss of property was fifty thousand dollars (1908 dollars).

Many people around the region remember Charles City as the site of a devastating F5 tornado that ripped through town on May 15, 1968, leaving 13 dead, hundreds injured, and massive destruction in its wake. One of the largest twisters ever recorded in the state, the storm destroyed much of the downtown – 256 businesses and 1,250 homes. Damage estimates of more than $20 million only told part of the story; the cost in human suffering was much greater than that.

On May 15, 1968, a violent F5 tornado
May 1968 tornado outbreak
The May 1968 tornado outbreak was a significant and deadly tornado outbreak that struck most of the central and southern United States on May 15- May 16, 1968. Producing 46 tornadoes, the outbreak killed at least 72 people including 45 in Arkansas alone. The outbreak also produced two F5s in Iowa...

 tore a 1/2 mile wide path through the town from south to north, killing 13 people,injuring 450 others, and caused $30 million damage. In town, 372 homes and 58 businesses were destroyed, 188 homes and 90 businesses sustained major damage, and 356 homes and 46 businesses sustained minor damage. Eight churches, 3 schools were damaged or destroyed, the police station was heavily damaged, and 1250 vehicles were destroyed. Overall, 13 people died, 462 were injured, and $31.5 million damage was done, inflated to $195.57 million damage. The city also got hit by tornadoes in 1858, 1878, and 1908.

Geography

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...

, Charles City has a total area of 6.2 square miles (16.1 km²), of which, 6.2 square miles (16.1 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (1.44%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
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 7,812 people, 3,339 households, and 2,083 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 1,269.9 people per square mile (490.4/km²). There were 3,597 housing units at an average density of 584.7 per square mile (225.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.92% White, 0.44% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.19% Pacific Islander, 0.79% 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 0.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.12% of the population.

There were 3,339 households out of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% 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, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.6% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.82.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.2% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 24.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 84.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,568, and the median income for a family was $38,297. Males had a median income of $29,536 versus $19,904 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 $16,659. About 8.5% of families and 11.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.6% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Charles City is served by the Charles City Community School District, which includes the Charles City High School
Charles City High School
-External links:* * Location:...

. There were two former institutions called Charles City College
Charles City College
Charles City College was a private liberal arts college that operated from 1967 to 1968 in Charles City, Iowa. It was one of several Midwestern colleges established by local civic leaders with the support and encouragement of Parsons College in Fairfield, Iowa...

, the first a Methodist college that was absorbed into Morningside College
Morningside College
Morningside College is a private, liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church located in Sioux City, Iowa. Founded in 1894 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, Morningside College is a private, four-year, co-educational liberal arts institution. Morningside has 21 buildings on a ...

 in the 1910s, and the second a short lived branch of Parsons College
Parsons College
Parsons College was a private liberal arts college in Fairfield, Iowa. The school, affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, was founded in 1875 and closed in 1973....

 in the late 1960s.

Media

Charles City is served by the following local media outlets:
Radio
  • KHCA 95.9 FM
  • KQOP-LP 94.7 FM, Charles City Educational Association


Newspaper
  • Charles City Press


TV
  • KIMT
    KIMT
    KIMT is the CBS-affiliated television station for the Driftless Area of North Central Iowa and Southeastern Minnesota. Licensed to Mason City, Iowa, it broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 42 from a transmitter near Meyer, Iowa south of the Minnesota state line...

    , CBS
    CBS
    CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

     3
  • KAAL
    KAAL
    KAAL is the ABC-affiliated television station for the Driftless Area of Southeastern Minnesota and North-Central Iowa. Licensed to Austin, Minnesota, the station broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 33 from a transmitter southeast of Grand Meadow, Minnesota in Eastern Mower...

    , ABC
    American Broadcasting Company
    The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...

     6
  • KWWL, NBC 7

Notable people

  • Jeff Betts
    Jeff Betts
    Jeff Betts is a former U.S. soccer forward and coach who spent most of his career playing indoor soccer...

     (1970– ) three time Soccer All Star and the 2000 World Indoor Soccer League Coach of the Year
  • Carrie Chapman Catt
    Carrie Chapman Catt
    Carrie Chapman Catt was a women's suffrage leader who campaigned for the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution which gave U.S. women the right to vote in 1920...

     (1859–1947) president of the NAWSA
    National American Woman Suffrage Association
    The National American Woman Suffrage Association was an American women's rights organization formed in May 1890 as a unification of the National Woman Suffrage Association and the American Woman Suffrage Association...

    , founder of the League of Women Voters
    League of Women Voters
    The League of Women Voters is an American political organization founded in 1920 by Carrie Chapman Catt during the last meeting of the National American Woman Suffrage Association approximately six months before the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution gave women the right to vote...

     and IAW
    International Alliance of Women
    The International Alliance of Women is a non-governmental, feminist organization, which embraces both women’s groups and individuals. The basic principle of the IAW is that the full and equal enjoyment of human rights is due to all women and girls....

  • James E. Gritzner
    James E. Gritzner
    James E. Gritzner is an active United States federal judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.Gritzner was born in Charles City, Iowa. He received a B.A. from Dakota Wesleyan University in 1969, and a M.A. from the University of Northern Iowa in 1974. He received...

     (1947– ) United States federal judge
  • Charles Walter Hart
    Charles Walter Hart
    Charles Walter Hart was born in Charles City, Floyd County, Iowa in 1872. His company, Hart-Parr Gasoline Engine Company, known as the "founders of the tractor industry", coined the word tractor....

     (1872–1937) Hart-Parr Gasoline Engine Company, coined the word tractor
  • Mark Kuhn
    Mark Kuhn
    Mark A. Kuhn is the Iowa State Representative from the 14th District. He has served in the Iowa House of Representatives since 1998...

     (1950– ) was an Iowa State Representative from the 14th District
  • Vive Lindaman
    Vive Lindaman
    Vivan Alexander Lindaman was a professional baseball player who played pitcher in the Major Leagues from 1906 to 1909....

     (1877–1927) professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1906–1909
  • Marlys Millhiser
    Marlys Millhiser
    Marlys Millhiser is an American author of mysteries and standalone horror novels, including her most famous one The Mirror, published in 1978. She is also the author of The Thrashed, Michael's Wife, Nella Waits, and Willing Hostage.-External links:...

     (1938– ) author of mysteries (Charlie Greene series) also stand alone horror novels The Mirror
    The Mirror (Millhiser)
    The Mirror, published in 1978 and the best-known work of Marlys Millhiser, is a horror-novel about unwilling time-travel involving an evil antique mirror with unclear glass.-Plot synopsis:Shay Garrett's story, 1978 ...

  • George Nelson
    George Nelson (astronaut)
    George Driver "Pinky" Nelson is a former NASA astronaut.Nelson was born in Charles City, Iowa, but considers Willmar, Minnesota, to be his hometown. His wife Susie is from Alhambra, California. They have two daughters, Aimee and Marti....

     (1950– ) former astronaut, participated in three missions
  • Henry Otis Pratt
    Henry Otis Pratt
    Henry Otis Pratt was a lawyer, Methodist Episcopal minister, and two-term Republican U.S. Representative from Iowa's 4th congressional district.Born in Foxcroft, Maine, Pratt attended the common schools and Foxcroft Academy....

     (1838–1931) two-term Republican U.S. Representative from Iowa's 4th congressional district
  • Paul F. Riordan
    Paul F. Riordan
    Paul F. Riordan was a United States Army officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II during the Battle of Monte Cassino.-Biography:...

     (1920–1944) received the Medal of Honor
    Medal of Honor
    The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...

     for his actions in World War II
    World War II
    World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

     during the Battle of Monte Cassino
    Battle of Monte Cassino
    The Battle of Monte Cassino was a costly series of four battles during World War II, fought by the Allies against Germans and Italians with the intention of breaking through the Winter Line and seizing Rome.In the beginning of 1944, the western half of the Winter Line was being anchored by Germans...

  • Susie Smith
    Survivor: Gabon
    Survivor: Gabon — Earth's Last Eden is the seventeenth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. The premiere aired September 25, 2008, with the first two episodes screened back-to-back....

     (1960– ), runner-up on Survivor: Gabon
    Survivor: Gabon
    Survivor: Gabon — Earth's Last Eden is the seventeenth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. The premiere aired September 25, 2008, with the first two episodes screened back-to-back....

  • Wimpy Winther
    Wimpy Winther
    Wimpy Winther is a former center in the National Football League. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 1971 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints and played that season with the Green Bay Packers. The following season he would play with the Saints....

    (1947– ) professional football player in the National Football League from 1971–1972

External links




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