Abandoned Towns, Villages, and Post Offices of Marion County

Index to The Abandoned Towns of Iowa by David C. Mott, from the Annals of Iowa 1929-1933, pp. 42-44.
Heritage of Marion County, information on the towns of Marion County, by the Farm Bureau Women of Marion County.

Because Marion County was settled in the 1840s, a large number of towns were laid out, necessary at the time, but it was impossible for all to survive as modes of transportation changed.

American City
Laid out 1848 Summit Township, NW of Otley, never developed.

Amsterdam
Laid out 1848, in 1933 was Wabash Railroad Station of Howell.

Andersonville
Black town, Sec. 14 Knoxville Twp., coal mining, closed early 1920.

Barkersville
Post Office from 1849-1853, now Attica.

Bauer
Dallas Twp. Sec. 20 1874, grew up around St. Joseph Catholic church.

Bennington
Laid out 1848, N side of Des Moines River, 1-1/2 miles W of Percy.

Bethel City
1875-1883, 2 miles west of Tracy, in Clay Township.

Caloma
Post Office 1858-1907, SE corner Sec. 19 Franklin township.

Cloud
Post Office 1888-1906, Section 35 Dallas Township.

Coalport
S side Des Moines River, Sec. 14 Knoxville N Twp., coal mining.

Cooper
Springs Post Office 1872-1875, SW part Indiana Township.

Cordova
Laid out 1887, Wabash spur to Red Rock, 1969 under Red Rock lake.

Delphi
Platted Northern part Swan Township, S of Percy on Des Moines River.

Dixonville
1856, 2 miles N of Hamilton, had one store.

Divide
Post Office a few months in 1851, center Summit Township.

Donley
Knoxville Twp. 4m W Knoxville, on C.B.&Q. railroad, was a depot.

Dunreath
Sec. 27 Twp. 77, laid out Nov. 17 1881, 1914 population 200.

Durham
Was surveyed 1875, Sec. 5 Clay Twp., 1877 name changed from Merrill.

Durham's
Post Office 1848-1850, N sec 32 Clay township on Des Moines River.

Elm Grove
Post Office 1846-1853, first post office in the county. Eastern part of Liberty Township.

Ely
Post Office 1853-1869, now Marysville.

English Settlement
Post Office 1850-1878, Northern part Sec. 18 Clay Township, stagecoach stop.

Evere(i)st
Post Office 1905-1914, coal mining town, Sec. 17 Liberty Township.

Fairmount
Post Office 1874-1875, Sec. 25 Twp. 75 range 20, 3 miles S. Knoxville.

Fifield
8m N Knoxville in Polk Twp., Wabash Railroad Depot

Flagler
Post Office 1876-1914, coal mining town, SW 1/4 of E Sec. 2, Knoxville Twp.

Germantown
Around church of German descent, Dallas Twp. no P.O.

Gosport
Post Office 1854-1905, laid out in 1853 as New Town, in center of Washington Twp.

Hamaker's
Post Office 1868-69, southern part of Sec. 2, Liberty Township.

Harrisonville
laid out 1854, SE 1/4 of N sec. 32 Clay Township, near Durham.

Hawkeye
E Knoxville Twp., a mining town in about 1916. Black people lived in the northern part and whites in the southern part, one well. When the town moved, they put their houses on sleds and pulled them.

Howell
Laid out 1882, NE 1/4 Sec. 19 Lake Prairie Twp., railroad station.

Iola
Post Office 1854-1881, SE pt. N Sec. 31 Clay Township.

Indiana
In 1900 shown 2 miles S of Attica.

Kimbal(l)
Sec 33 Pleasant Grove Twp.

Lake Prairie
Post Office 1845-47 near Amsterdam in southern part of Lake Prairie

Leerdam
Laid out 1858, NE 1/3 of N sec. 23 Lake Prairie Township on S side Skunk River.

Lucas Grove
Grove Post Office 1874-82, NW pt. of Sec. 21 Union Twp., near Donley.

McKey
Close to Andersonville, closed late 1920's.

Mennon
Post Office 1856-1867, part of Swan now.

Merrill
Name for Durham when first laid out in 1875, also called English.

Morgan Valley
Post Office 1891-1903, Perry Twp., S side of Des Moines River, Sec. 9.

Nepas
4 mile north of Melcher/Dallas, founded in 1913.

Newark
Post Office 1857-1868, in northern Summit Twp., was once 2 miles NW of Otley.

New Castle or Newark Castle
2 miles SE of Otley, on maps 1856-1869.

New Chicago
Laid out 1867, NW pt. Sec. 17 Dallas Twp.

New Town
First name of Gosport.

Oak
Post Office 1871- 187 NE corner of Sec. 18 Red Rock Twp.

Ohio
First name of Dallas.

Oradell
Sec. 31 Union Township, on old bed of Des Moines River.

Paran City
Post Office 1848-1852, NW pt. Union Twp., near Oradell.

Percy
Eastern pt. of Perry Twp., laid out 1882, under Red Rock Lake since 1969.

Perryville
laid out 1848, Sec. 9 Twp. 77 Range 21, N side Des Moines River near Morgan Valley.

Pinchey
Another name for Oradell.

Poplar Grove
Post Office 1856-57.

Red Rock
Surveyed 1845, Post Office 1855-1857, 25 families in 1944. The town was notorious for the murders and other disturbances committed there. It ceased to exist with the flood of the Dam in 1969.

Red Cedar Mills
1853-1856, central part of Liberty Twp.

Reedville
Laid out 1855, Sec. 8 Red Rock Twp., near Prairie Creek.

Rousseau
Laid out 1850, Post Office 1873-1903, Sec. 9 Polk Twp.

Star
Post Office 1867-1902, SW pt. of Sec. 14 Franklin Township.

Weston
Platted in 1856, N pt. of Sec. 35 Pleasant Grove Twp.

Wheeling
Post Office 1852-1884, Laid out 1851, Sec. 5 Swan Twp.

White Breast
Sec. 23 near White Breast Creek, in Franklin Twp., station on the C.R.&P. Railroad.