GREENCASTLE
Jasper Co., IOWA
By
Greencastle is a tiny
class
D
community that is located on 51st Avenue West, 2.2 miles southeast
of Mingo and 0.5 miles west of SH
117. It was originally settled in 1846,
with the first store being built in 1848 and school in 1849. The town was platted August 30, 1855 by
August Shipp and his wife. A post office
was established on August 1, 1856, with Erastus Hull as the postmaster. By 1859, the community had 15 new buildings,
and was a busy agricultural community.
The original Slaughter Schoolhouse had been replaced by a larger
building to accommodate the growing population.
Greencastle was at its zenith in the 1870s through
the first couple years of the 1880s. The
town had a baseball team, blacksmith, church (
It was a flourishing community until 1883 when the
railroad came through, placing the station two miles to the northwest. Most of
the town’s businesses and people moved to the new site which was called
Mingo. However a few businesses
remained, including the post office, church and school. In 1895 there were still two broom makers, a
carpet weaver, three carpenters, the church, two gardeners, two general stores,
post office, the school and a watch & clock repairer.
In 1900 the population was 92.
The Greencastle Post Office closed its doors on
Dec 31, 1901.
In May 1997 the site consisted of a large,
well-maintained cemetery and a scattering of homes.
Population figures: 1980 - rural, 1990 – 25, 2000
- 30
This
was our GHOST TOWN OF THE MONTH for March 2005.
Location:
·
SE¼ Sec 11, NE¼ Sec 14,
T80N, R21W, Fifth Principal Meridian, Poweshiek Township.
·
Latitude: 41.7460992 / 41°
44' 46" N
·
Longitude: -93.2615940 /
93° 15' 42" W
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FIRST
POSTED: March
05, 2005
LAST
UPDATED: September 20, 2009
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