Mystic, Iowa
Encyclopedia
Mystic is a city in Appanoose County
Appanoose County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 12,884 in the county, with a population density of . There were 6,633 housing units, of which 5,627 were occupied.-2000 census:...

, Iowa, United States. The population was 588 at the 2000 census.

History

At the end of the 19th century, "the valley of Walnut Creek was one continuous mining camp, known under different names, Jerome, Diamond, Mystic, Clarksdale, Rathbun
Rathbun, Iowa
Rathbun is a city in Appanoose County, Iowa, United States. The population was 88 at the 2000 census.-History:Incorporated in 1897, Rathbun was established in 1892 as a mining town....

 and Darby" (later known as Darbyville). A. M. Elgin opened the first coal mine in the Mystic area in 1857, about 1.5 miles north of Mystic on Little Walnut Creek. The Mystic coal seam was exposed on the surface there, and drifts were opened and abandoned over the next few decades until the hills were honeycombed with mines.

In 1858, Isaac Fuller opened a large mine in Mystic, shipping coal for domestic use in nearby Centerville
Centerville, Iowa
Centerville is a city in and the county seat of Appanoose County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,528 in the 2010 census, a decline from 5,924 in the 2000 census. After the turn of the 20th century Centerville had a booming coal mining industry that attracted many European immigrants...

. In 1887, the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway built a line through Mystic, leading to an explosive growth in mining. By 1893, there were 14 mines in Mystic and 2 in Brazil, just to the south.
It is noteworthy that the terms brass, brazzle and brazil are English dialect terms for pyrite
Pyrite
The mineral pyrite, or iron pyrite, is an iron sulfide with the formula FeS2. This mineral's metallic luster and pale-to-normal, brass-yellow hue have earned it the nickname fool's gold because of its resemblance to gold...

 or to coal seams with significant pyrite content and that a shale layer not far above the Mystic coal seam in Mystic and Brazil contains significant pyrite.

Local Assembly 3335 of the Knights of Labor
Knights of Labor
The Knights of Labor was the largest and one of the most important American labor organizations of the 1880s. Its most important leader was Terence Powderly...

 was based in Brazil and had a membership of 75 in 1884. The miners of Mystic and Brazil joined the United Mine Workers
United Mine Workers
The United Mine Workers of America is a North American labor union best known for representing coal miners and coal technicians. Today, the Union also represents health care workers, truck drivers, manufacturing workers and public employees in the United States and Canada...

 in 1898. By 1902, Local 201 in Brazil had 220 members and Local 634 in Mystic had 569 members. By 1912, Local 201 had 370 members and Locals 239 and 634 in Mystic had a combined membership of 851. The total UMWA membership in 1912 represents about 1/4 of the entire population.

In 1914, the Lodwick Brothers Coal Company of Mystic produced over 100,000 tons of coal, ranking among the top 24 coal producers in the state.

Geography

Mystic's longitude and latitude coordinates
in decimal form are 40.778616, −92.944933.
Mystic is located in the valley of Walnut Creek, about 4 miles southwest of its confluence with the Chariton River
Chariton River
The Chariton River is a tributary to the Missouri River in southeast Iowa and northeast Missouri.It has been called Missouri's "Grand Divide" because streams west of the Chariton flow into the Missouri and streams east of it flow into the Mississippi River....

.

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 2.9 square miles (7.5 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 588 people, 236 households, and 159 families residing in the city. The population density was 200.7 people per square mile (77.5/km²). There were 273 housing units at an average density of 93.2 per square mile (36.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 99.15% White, 0.17% Native American, and 0.68% from two or more races.

There were 236 households out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.1% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.6% were non-families. 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 101.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,568, and the median income for a family was $29,063. Males had a median income of $26,964 versus $18,500 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,846. About 22.3% of families and 22.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.2% of those under age 18 and 15.7% of those age 65 or over.

External links

  • City-Data Comprehensive statistical data and more about Mystic



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