Long one of Iowa's most important industrial cities, Ottumwa was established on the banks of the Des Moines River in 1843. The river was both a blessing, providing transportation as well as ice for early meatpacking plants, and a curse, inundating the city with periodic floods until it was tamed in the latter half of the 20th century. This collection of vintage photographs highlights the city's industries and laboring people, the river's role in the shaping of the community, and Ottumwa's unique place in history as the location of the Iowa Coal Palace and Industrial Exhibits of 1890 and 1891 and the Ottumwa Naval Air Station during the World War II era.

Ottumwa (IA) (Images of America)

Arts & Photography

Lemberger, Michael W.

Warren, Wilson J.

Photography & Video

Arcadia Publishing

Ottumwa was established in 1843 on the banks of the Des Moines River. The city quickly became a center of retail trade and industry for southeastern Iowa, as well as a railroad hub that shipped products across the country. More than 200 vintage postcard images show the booming industrial and retail city at the beginning of the 20th century and after--from the river to the railroads, from parks and recreation to business and retail, from quiet residential streets to churches and ice-cream parlors--bringing back the bygone days of a still thriving city.

Ottumwa (IA) (Postcard History Series)

Michaels,Leigh

Ottumwa

History

Americas

Arcadia Publishing Library Editions

One Man's Vision

Individual Artists

PBL Limited

Built in the 1860s by Irish immigrants who quarried the brown sandstone by hand and hauled it four miles with ox teams, Saint Patrick's Church has stood in Monroe County, Iowa, for a century and a half. The great rock church known as "the cathedral in the wilderness" remains strong and solid, and the parishioners are even sturdier. Though families have spread far and wide, St. Patrick's Georgetown remains close to the hearts and minds of the people. No matter where they live, they're from Georgetown.

Saint Patrick's: Georgetown Iowa

Historical sketch book of Albia and Monroe County, Iowa, first published in 1959 -- prepared for the 100th anniversary of the incorporation of the city of Albia, Iowa

Albia, Iowa Centennial Celebration: Historical Sketch Book of Albia and Monroe County

Committee, Albia Centennial

P B L, Limited

In the spring of 1993, the rains began across the upper Midwest, filling lakes and rivers to capacity. With flood control reservoirs at their limits, Ottumwa and southeast Iowa braced for the impact. Photographer Michael W. Lemberger documented the historic Great Flood of 1993 both in his hometown of Ottumwa, Iowa, and up and down the Des Moines and Mississippi Rivers. This unique collection of aerial and ground-level color photos shows the impact of high water in southeastern Iowa during the historic 1993 flood and others in the twenty years since.

Twenty Years of Floods: Ottumwa and Southeast Iowa

Ottumwa, Iowa has been a river town from the moment settlers chose the spot along the banks of the Des Moines River in 1844. Islands come and go; water levels rise and fall; floods sweep through; bridges are built, taken down, and rebuilt. The river changes and even moves, but it continues to provide water, food, and fun, supporting industry and transportation – and remaining the heart of the community. Illustrations courtesy of The Lemberger Collection. For more information about the collection, which has been called the largest and best-documented privately-owned photography collection in the world, visit www.mlemberger.com.

On the Riverfront: Ottumwa, Iowa From Turkey Island to the Mixmaster

Built in 1857, Mars Hill is the oldest log cabin church still in use in the nation. It is also one of the largest log buildings to have been constructed in Iowa. Though it is now an interdenominational chapel, it has been called the mother church of all Baptist faiths west of the Mississippi River. Severely damaged by an arson fire in 2006, Mars Hill has been rebuilt with original and period materials.

Mars Hill: A Living Legacy

Lemberger, LeAnn

The St. Louis World's Fair of 1904 -- in rare color images... A hundred years after the 1803 Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the United States, a World's Fair -- the Louisiana Purchase Exposition -- was held in St. Louis, Missouri, to commemorate the event. Photographer T.W. Ingersoll documented the 1904 fair with his stereoscopic camera. A hundred of his photographs, originally published as a set, are now shown in color, along with postcard images and rare black and white photos of the fair.

1904 St. Louis World's Fair

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Books by Lemberger, Michael W.