Swedesburg, Iowa

Swedesburg is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in northern Henry County, Iowa, United States. It was first listed as a CDP prior to the 2020 census.

Swedesburg, Iowa
Census-designated place
Swedesburg, Iowa
Swedesburg, Iowa
Swedesburg is located in Iowa
Swedesburg
Swedesburg
Swedesburg is located in the United States
Swedesburg
Swedesburg
Coordinates: 41°06′22″N 91°33′12″W
CountryUnited States
StateIowa
CountyHenry
Area
[1]
 • Total2.30 sq mi (5.97 km2)
 • Land2.30 sq mi (5.97 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
[2]
735 ft (224 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total99
 • Density42.97/sq mi (16.59/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes
52652
FIPS code19-76800
GNIS feature ID2804140[2]

Location

Swedesburg is in north central Henry County just west of US Route 218 nine miles north of Mount Pleasant.[3]

Although Swedesburg is unincorporated, it has a post office with the ZIP code of 52652.[4]

History

Swedesburg was originally built up chiefly by Swedish immigrants.[5] They first arrived in the region in the 1860s after a wave of migration to the nearby Jefferson County in the 1840s.[6]

Swedesburg had a population of 86 in 2000.

Attractions and landmarks

Swedesburg has a museum, the Swedish American Museum, which commemorates the community's Swedish heritage. It is housed in the former Farmers Union Exchange Building, a structure which dates from the 1920s.[7][8]

The following buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places:

Education

The Mount Pleasant Community School District operates local area public schools.[9]

Literature

The author Bill Bryson mentions Swedesburg in his 2006 memoir, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid. Bryson recalls seeing Swedesburg from a distance whilst visiting his grandparents in nearby Winfield in the 1950s, and reflects how the heritages of settlements such as Swedesburg were affected by the policies of Governor William L. Harding, which resulted in the decline of European languages in the state.[10]

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
202099—
U.S. Decennial Census[11]

References
  1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Swedesburg, Iowa
  3. Iowa Atlas & Gazetteer, DeLorme, 7th Edition, 2021, p. 61 ISBN 1946494003
  4. "Free ZIP Code Lookup with area code, county, geocode, MSA/PMSA, population". www.zipinfo.com.
  5. The History of Henry County, Iowa: Containing a History of the County, Its Cities, Towns, &c. Western Historical Company. 1879. pp. 552.
  6. Sood, Kiran. "Iowa All Over: Preserving Swedish History in Swedesburg". The Gazette.
  7. "View Museum Info". www.museumsusa.org.
  8. Brian E. Clark (January 27, 2017). "Swedesburg, Iowa, museum a trove of pioneer artifacts". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  9. "Mount Pleasant" (PDF). Iowa Department of Education. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  10. Bryson, B. The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, Doubleday, pp.209-210, ISBN 978-0-385-60826-8
  11. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.


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