Category Archives: Town Sign Project

Art, Calendar, Flowers, Macro, Mom, Town Sign Project, Vest

Town Sign Project: Decatur County

December 21, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

The February image from the 2022 Photography 139 Calendar is a macro image of an allium from my Mom’s yard just starting to bloom.

Tomorrow I will share the March image.

+++++++

A few weeks back Vest and I loaded up in the car and toured around Decatur County harvesting their town signs.

Here are some facts about Decatur County:

+ The population is 7,645 making it the 86th most populous county in Iowa. Behind Lucas County and above Monroe County.
+ The county seat is Leon.
+ The largest town is Lamoni.
+ Was organized in 1850.
+ Named after Stephen Decatur, a naval hero from the War of 1812.
+ Home of Graceland University.
+ Home of the smallest incorporated town in Iowa (tied).
+ Major highways are I-35, US-69, and IA-2.
+ Adjacent counties are Clarke, Wayne, and Ringgold.
+ Population peaked in 1920 at 16,566.

The Decatur County Courthouse is pretty cool looking:

The Decatur County Courthouse located in Leon, Iowa.

The Decatur County Freedom Rock is located in Leon, Iowa:

With Decatur County conquered, this is the updated Photography 139 Conquest Map:

PURPLE=COMPLETED

50 counties conquered. 50.5% of the Cyclone State conquered!

Here are the town signs of Decatur County:

Lamoni, Iowa
Welcome to Lamoni
home of GRACELAND UNIVERSITY
Founded 1895
Population: 1,969 (-355)

Leon, Iowa
LEON
Population: 1,822 (-155)

Grand River, Iowa
GRAND RIVER RODEO
AUG 20-21
FRI-SAT 8:00 PM
Population: 196 (-40)

Davis City, Iowa
DAVIS CITY COMMUNITY CENTER
Population: 179 (-25)

Van Wert, Iowa
VAN WERT Community Center
Where friends & family meet
Population: 178 (-52)

Decatur City, Iowa
DECATUR CITY
Population: 175 (-22)

Garden Grove, Iowa
Welcome to GARDEN GROVE
1846
Population: 174 (-37)

Weldon, Iowa
Welcome to WELDON
“Always Home”
Est. 1880
Population: 136 (+9)

Pleasanton, Iowa
PLEASANTON
1838 2007
A Pleasant Place to Live
Population: 32 (-17)

Le Roy, Iowa
LEROY
Est. 1880
Population: 11 (-4)

Decatur County doesn’t have a very good collection of signs. Particularly bad are Van Wert, Davis City, and Grand River, which don’t really have signs so much as signs for their community center or rodeo. When I went through Grand River, the roads around it were heavily under construction and it was difficult to even get into the town, so I will give them some grace. Perhaps there is a sign somewhere that I just couldn’t get to because of all the road construction. I don’t know I’ll get back to Grand River to check that out any time soon though. That area of the state I’ve pretty heavily harvested. However, it isn’t too far from the interstate, so it is something I could check out next time I go to Kansas.

There are a few signs I do really like. Garden Grove has a solid sign. So does Pleasanton. I like the rustic charm of the Decatur City sign. The concrete Leon reminds me of signs I’ve seen in the Flint Hills area of Kansas. Le Roy has a very impressive sign for being a town of 11 people. Although, it will always be confusing to me. Is it Le Roy or is it Leroy? Technically it is Le Roy, so it feels like they misspelled their town name on their own town sign. Which means I’m going to give Best in Show to Weldon. A solid town sign like that is surely the reason that it is the only town in the county that actually gained people between 2010 and 2020.

Weldon – Best in Show – Decatur County

Two towns had alternate town signs:

Leon – Alternate

Garden Grove – Alternate

Here is the current list of Best in Shows:

Best in Show – Adair County

Best in Show – Adams County

Best in Show – Audubon County

Best in Show – Benton County

Best in Show – Boone County

Best in Show – Bremer County

Best in Show – Butler County

Best in Show – Calhoun County

Best in Show – Carroll County

Best in Show – Cass County

Best in Show – Cerro Gordo County

Best in Show – Clarke County

Best in Show – Crawford County

Best in Show – Dallas County

Best in Show – Decatur County

Best in Show – Franklin County

Best in Show – Fremont County

Best in Show – Greene County

Best in Show – Grundy County

Best in Show – Guthrie County

Best in Show – Hamilton County

Best in Show – Hancock County

Best in Show – Hardin County

Best in Show – Humboldt County

Best in Show – Ida County

Best in Show – Jasper County

Best in Show – Kossuth County

Best in Show – Lucas County

Best in Show – Madison County

Best in Show – Marion County

Best in Show – Marshall County

Best in Show – Mills County

Best in Show – Monona County

Best in Show – Montgomery County

Best in Show – Page County

Best in Show – Pocahontas County

Best in Show – Polk County

Best in Show – Poweshiek County

Best in Show – Ringgold County

Best in Show – Sac County

Best in Show – Shelby County

Best in Show – Story County

Best in Show – Tama County

Best in Show – Taylor County

Best in Show – Union County

Best in Show – Warren County

Best in Show – Webster County

Best in Show – Winnebago County

Best in Show – Worth County

Best in Show – Wright County

The next time we hit the dusty trail for THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT, we will end up in Wayne County.

Art, Road Trip, Town Sign Project

Town Sign Project: Winnebago County

December 14, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

A few weeks back I hit the open road to harvest the town signs of Winnebago County.

Here are some facts about Winnebago County:

+ The population is 10,679 making it the 69th most populous county in Iowa. Behind Hancock County and above Guthrie County. (Unrelated question, do you think that whenever teachers ask their classes to pick a number, do they still always pick 69 and the laugh uncontrollably? I bet they still do.)
+ The largest town and county seat is Forest City, which is partially in Hancock County.
+ Founded in 1847.
+ Founded after the Native American tribe also known as the Ho-Chunk.
+ Location of motor home manufacturers Winnebag.
+ Major highways are US-69 and US-9. (Unrelated, but back in the day college students used to steal Highway 69 signs and thought it was hilarious. I bet they still do.)
+ Adjacent counties are Worth, Hancock, Kossuth, and Cerro Gordo.
+ Population peaked in 1940 at 13,972.

The Winnebago Courthouse is pretty sweet. Especially the fountain out front.

The Winnebago Courthouse in Forest City, Iowa.

The Winnebago County Freedom Rock is located in Lake Mills, Iowa.

If you ever want to check out all the Freedom Rocks and Courthouses to date, just click on this link below:

Courthouses and Freedom Rocks

With Winnebago County conquered, this is the updated Photography 139 Conquest Map:

PURPLE=COMPLETED

49 counties completed. 49.5% of the Cyclone State conquered!

Here are the town signs of Winnebago County:

Forest City, Iowa (Partially in Hancock County)
Forest City
Population: 4,285 (+134)

Lake Mills, Iowa
LAKE MILLS
EST. 1869
Population: 2,143 (+43)

Buffalo Center, Iowa
WELCOME TO… BUFFALO CENTER
Population: 857 (-48)

Thompson, Iowa
Thompson
Est. 1892
Population: 495 (-7)

Leland, Iowa
WELCOME TO… LELAND
WATERMELON DAYS SINCE 1934
A GREAT PLACE TO CALL HOME.
Population: 249 (-40)

Rake, Iowa
Velkommen
RAKE IOWA
EST. 1900
A Little Bit of Norway And A Lot Of Pride
Population: 186 (-39)

Scarville, Iowa
SCARVILLE
Population: 74 (+2)

I don’t think there is a bad town sign in the bunch. If I had to pick a least favorite, it would probably be Lake Mills or Thompson gets points for the at least using a fun font.

Best in Show is pretty obvious. I like the town signs of Leland and Rake, but really it is all about the Buffalo.

Buffalo Center – Best in Show – Winnebago County

When I worked at the Campus Outpost of the Evil Clown Empire my Breakfast Assistant was a woman named Jean Smith. She was from Buffalo Center, Iowa. Jean passed away a few years after I left for the Computer Mine. She was a fascinating person and have many fond memories of her. I thought about her as I drove through Buffalo Center.

A few towns in Winnebago County have alternate town signs:

Thompson – Alternate

Rake – Alternate

Buffalo Center – Alternate

Here is the current list of Best in Shows:

Best in Show – Adair County

Best in Show – Adams County

Best in Show – Audubon County

Best in Show – Benton County

Best in Show – Boone County

Best in Show – Bremer County

Best in Show – Butler County

Best in Show – Calhoun County

Best in Show – Carroll County

Best in Show – Cass County

Best in Show – Cerro Gordo County

Best in Show – Clarke County

Best in Show – Crawford County

Best in Show – Dallas County

Best in Show – Franklin County

Best in Show – Fremont County

Best in Show – Greene County

Best in Show – Grundy County

Best in Show – Guthrie County

Best in Show – Hamilton County

Best in Show – Hancock County

Best in Show – Hardin County

Best in Show – Humboldt County

Best in Show – Ida County

Best in Show – Jasper County

Best in Show – Kossuth County

Best in Show – Lucas County

Best in Show – Madison County

Best in Show – Marion County

Best in Show – Marshall County

Best in Show – Mills County

Best in Show – Monona County

Best in Show – Montgomery County

Best in Show – Page County

Best in Show – Pocahontas County

Best in Show – Polk County

Best in Show – Poweshiek County

Best in Show – Ringgold County

Best in Show – Sac County

Best in Show – Shelby County

Best in Show – Story County

Best in Show – Tama County

Best in Show – Taylor County

Best in Show – Union County

Best in Show – Warren County

Best in Show – Webster County

Best in Show – Winnebago Count

Best in Show – Worth County

Best in Show – Wright County

The next time we hit the dusty road for THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT we will head south to Decatur County.

Art, Railroad, Road Trip, Town Sign Project

Town Sign Project: Kossuth County

December 7, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett 14 Comments

A few weeks back I made a solo trip to Kossuth County to harvest their town signs. Kossuth County is the largest county in Iowa covering 972 square miles. Pottawattamie County is second, covering 950 square miles. It was twice split into two counties with the northern section broke off into a second county. Giving Iowa 100 counties. First Bancroft County was established in 1851, but then abolished in 1857. It was joined to Kossuth because Bancroft County was determined unusable as farmland. Then in 1870 the same area was designated as Crocker County, but in 1871 the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that this creation violated the constitution because no county can be less than 432 square miles. The area was returned to Kossuth County.

Here are some facts about Kossuth County:

+ The population is 14,828. Making it the 52nd most populous county in Iowa. Below Hamilton County and above Harrison County.
+ The largest town and county seat is Algona.
+ Founded on January 15, 1851.
+ Named after Hungarian politician Lajos Kossuth.
+ Home of Nativity Set carved by Nazi prisoners of war.
+ Major highways are US-18, US-169, IA-9, IA-15, and IA-17.
+ Adjacent counties are: Winnegabo, Hancock, Humboldt, Palo Alto, and Emmet.
+ Population peaked in 1940 at 26,230.

Kossuth County has a pretty nondescript courthouse:

The Kossuth County Courthouse in Algona, Iowa.

The Kossuth County Freedom Rock is located in Whittemore, Iowa.

Something I think is cool about the Kossuth County Freedom Rock display is that the rock is in the middle of a concrete path that makes out a purple ribbon.

With Kossuth County conquered, this is the updated Photography 139 Conquest Map:

PURPLE=COMPLETED

48 counties completed. 48.5% of the Cyclone State conquered!

Here are the town signs of Kossuth County:

Algona, Iowa
ALGONA WELCOMES YOU
Population: 5,487 (-73)

Bancroft, Iowa
Bancroft
Garden Spot of Iowa
Population: 699 (-33)

Swea City, Iowa
SWEA CITY
est. 1895
Population: 566 (+30)

Titonka, Iowa
TITONKA
EST 1898
Population: 511 (+35)

Whittemore, Iowa
Welcome To Whittemore
ESTABLISHED 1878
Proud of our past… Excited for our future
Population: 497 (-7)

Burt, Iowa
WELCOME TO BURT
EST. 1881
Population: 418 (-115)

Wesley, IOwa
WESLEY
Quality Life in the Heartland
Population: 391 (+1)

Fenton, Iowa
FENTON
A GOOD TOWN FOR A HOME TOWN
Population: 271 (-8)

Lakota, Iowa
WELCOME TO LAKOTA
Population: 267 (+12)

Lu Verne, Iowa (Partially in Humboldt County)
WELCOME TO LU VERNE
COME AGAIN
Population: 258 (+33)

Lone Rock, Iowa
Lone Rock
Population: 146 (0)

Ledyard, Iowa
WELCOME TO LEDYARD
A PLACE TO COME BACK TO
Population: 121 (-9)

West Bend is also partially in Kossuth County, but since the majority is in Palo Alto County, I will wait to share that sign when I share the signs of Palo Alto County.

I don’t know there is a truly terrible town sign in Kossuth County. I guess I’ll give it to Algona for their sign being mostly corporate, but also hard to read.

As fro Best in Show for Kossuth County? I really like the sign for Lone Rock, but believe it or not, that rock isn’t “the” Lone Rock. Which means there is actually more than one rock in Lone Rock. I like the signs of Whittemore and while I’m not a big tombstone looking town sign guy I like the town signs for Swea City and Titonka. However, it is well known that I am partial to signs that have animals on them. So I’m giving it to Titonka. But Swea City is a really close second.

Titonka – Best in Show – Kossuth County

There are a couple of towns with alternate signs:

Lone Rock Alternate

Bancroft Alternate

Algona Alternate

Best in Show – Adair County

Best in Show – Adams County

Best in Show – Audubon County

Best in Show – Benton County

Best in Show – Boone County

Best in Show – Bremer County

Best in Show – Butler County

Best in Show – Calhoun County

Best in Show – Carroll County

Best in Show – Cass County

Best in Show – Cerro Gordo County

Best in Show – Clarke County

Best in Show – Crawford County

Best in Show – Dallas County

Best in Show – Franklin County

Best in Show – Fremont County

Best in Show – Greene County

Best in Show – Grundy County

Best in Show – Guthrie County

Best in Show – Hamilton County

Best in Show – Hancock County

Best in Show – Hardin County

Best in Show – Humboldt County

Best in Show – Ida County

Best in Show – Jasper County

Best in Show – Kossuth County

Best in Show – Lucas County

Best in Show – Madison County

Best in Show – Marion County

Best in Show – Marshall County

Best in Show – Mills County

Best in Show – Monona County

Best in Show – Montgomery County

Best in Show – Page County

Best in Show – Pocahontas County

Best in Show – Polk County

Best in Show – Poweshiek County

Best in Show – Ringgold County

Best in Show – Sac County

Best in Show – Shelby County

Best in Show – Story County

Best in Show – Tama County

Best in Show – Taylor County

Best in Show – Union County

Best in Show – Warren County

Best in Show – Webster County

Best in Show – Worth County

Best in Show – Wright County

The next time we hit the dusty trail for THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT, we will visit Winnebago County.

Art, Road Trip, Town Sign Project

Town Sign Project: Bremer County

November 30, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

A few weeks back after the semi-annual Howard Family Photo Shoot, I tooled around Bremer County harvesting their town signs. Here are some facts about Bremer County:

+ The population is 24,998 making it the 26th most populous county in Iowa. Below Benton County and above Washington County.
+ The largest town and county seat is Waverly.
+ Named after Fredrika Bremer, a Swedish feminist writer.
+ Home of Wartburg College.
+ Major highways are US-63, US-218, IA-3, IA-27, IA-93, and IA-188.
+ Adjacent counties are Chickasaw, Fayette, Floyd, Black Hawk, Buchanan, and Butler.
+ Is currently at its peak population. Previous high was 24,820 in 1980.

Bremer County has a fair looking courthouse:

Bremer County Courthouse in Waverly, Iowa.

The Bremer County Freedom Rock is located in Readlyn, Iowa:

With Bremer County conquered, this is the updated Photography 139 Conquest Map:

PURPLE=COMPLETED

47 counties completed. 47.5% of the Cyclone State conquered!

Here are the town signs of Bremer County:

Waverly, Iowa
WAVERLY WELCOMES YOU
SISTER CITY EISENACH, GERMANY
Population: 10,394 (+520)

Sumner, Iowa (Partially in Fayette County)
Welcome to Sumner
Population: 2,030 (+2)

Denver, Iowa
Welcome to DENVER
The Mile Wide City
Population: 1,919 (+139)

Tripoli, Iowa
TRIPOLI WELCOMES YOU
Population: 1,191 (-122)

Janesville, Iowa (Partially in Black Hawk County)
EST. 1849
JANESVILLE
WELCOME
The Oldest City in Bremer and Black Hawk County
Population: 1,034 (+104)

Readlyn, Iowa
READLYN
“857 friendly PEOPLE”
& one old GRUMP
WELCOME TO READLYN
Population: 845 (+37)

Plainfield, Iowa
PLAINFIELD
THE HEART OF A RURAL COMMUNITY
Population: 393 (-43)

Frederika, Iowa
Welcome to Frederika
Est. 1896
Gem of the Wapsie
Population: 204 (+21)

Horton, Iowa (Unincorporated)
HORTON
Est. 1856

Maxfield, Iowa – Ghost Town
“Welcome to Maxfield”

I actually don’t think there is a bad town sign in Bremer County. Even the corporate art types like Sumner manage to be interesting. So I’m not awarding a worst town sign in Bremer County award.

Best in Show is very obvious. But if towns like Plainfield and Denver and Frederika weren’t in the same county as Readlyn they could very easily win Best in Show.

Readlyn – Best in Show – Bremer County

There is only one town with an alternate town sign:

Readlyn – Alternate

Best in Show – Adair County

Best in Show – Adams County

Best in Show – Audubon County

Best in Show – Benton County

Best in Show – Boone County

Best in Show – Bremer County

Best in Show – Butler County

Best in Show – Calhoun County

Best in Show – Carroll County

Best in Show – Cass County

Best in Show – Cerro Gordo County

Best in Show – Clarke County

Best in Show – Crawford County

Best in Show – Dallas County

Best in Show – Franklin County

Best in Show – Fremont County

Best in Show – Greene County

Best in Show – Grundy County

Best in Show – Guthrie County

Best in Show – Hamilton County

Best in Show – Hancock County

Best in Show – Hardin County

Best in Show – Humboldt County

Best in Show – Ida County

Best in Show – Jasper County

Best in Show – Lucas County

Best in Show – Madison County

Best in Show – Marion County

Best in Show – Marshall County

Best in Show – Mills County

Best in Show – Monona County

Best in Show – Montgomery County

Best in Show – Page County

Best in Show – Pocahontas County

Best in Show – Polk County

Best in Show – Poweshiek County

Best in Show – Ringgold County

Best in Show – Sac County

Best in Show – Shelby County

Best in Show – Story County

Best in Show – Tama County

Best in Show – Taylor County

Best in Show – Union County

Best in Show – Warren County

Best in Show – Webster County

Best in Show – Worth County

Best in Show – Wright County

The next time we hit the open road for THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT we will end up in Kossuth County.

Art, Road Trip, Town Sign Project

Town Sign Project: Mills County

November 23, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett

A few weeks back I made a solo town harvesting trip to Mills County.

Here are some facts about Mills County:

+ The population of Mills County is 14,484, making it the 54th most populous county in Iowa. Below Harrison County and above Butler County.
+ The largest town and county seat is Glenwood.
+ Was formed in 1851 and named for Major Frederick Mills of Burlington, Iowa who was killed at the Battle of Churubusco during the Mexican-American War.
+ The first settlement was founded in 1846 by persecuted members of The Church of Latter-day Saints.
+ Major highways are I-29, US-34, US-59, US-275, and IA-370.
+ Adjacent counties are: Pottawattamie, Montgomery, and Fremont.
+ Population peaked in 1900 at 16,764.

Mills County has a pretty ugly courthouse:

The Mills County Courthouse in Glenwood, Iowa.

The Mills County Freedom Rock is located in Emerson, Iowa:

With Shelby County conquered, this is the updated Photography 139 Conquest Map:

PURPLE=COMPLETED

46 counties completed. 46.5% of the Cyclone State conquered.

Here are the town signs of Mills County:

Glenwood, Iowa
Welcome to GLENWOOD
Population: 5,073 (-196)

Malvern, Iowa
MALVERN
Population: 1,046 (-96)

Emerson, Iowa
Emerson
NEXT LEFT
EMERSON DAYS SEP 11
Population: 403 (-35)

Silver City, Iowa
Welcome to Silver City
ESTABLISHED 1879
Where “This is Home”
Population: 245 (0)

Mineola, Iowa (Unincorporated)
MINEOLA
EST. 1880
Population: 154 (-12)

Hastings, Iowa
THE CITY OF HASTINGS WELCOMES YOU
EST. 1877
FOUNDED 1869
Population: 152 (0)

Henderson, Iowa
WELCOME TO HENDERSON
Population: 144 (-41)

Pacific Junction, Iowa
Welcome to Pacific Junction
Rise Above the Water
Population: 96 (-375)

Mills County has a pretty solid set of signs. There isn’t really a bad sign in the county. But if I had to pick the worst, I would go with Glenwood. Just boring corporate art.

I might actually surprise some people (even persons that might have to begrudgingly admit that I’m pretty much always right about the town sign each week) with my pick for my favorite town sign in Mills County. It is a little more corporate art looking than I usually pick and if the sign was standalone, I wouldn’t even give it a second look. However, they augment the sign with an incredible tree sculpture and that puts it over the top for me.

Malvern – Best in Show – Mills County

There is one alternate town sign in Mills County:

Malvern – Alternate

Here is the current list of Best in Shows:

Best in Show – Adair County

Best in Show – Adams County

Best in Show – Audubon County

Best in Show – Benton County

Best in Show – Boone County

Best in Show – Butler County

Best in Show – Calhoun County

Best in Show – Carroll County

Best in Show – Cass County

Best in Show – Cerro Gordo County

Best in Show – Clarke County

Best in Show – Crawford County

Best in Show – Dallas County

Best in Show – Franklin County

Best in Show – Fremont County

Best in Show – Greene County

Best in Show – Grundy County

Best in Show – Guthrie County

Best in Show – Hamilton County

Best in Show – Hancock County

Best in Show – Hardin County

Best in Show – Humboldt County

Best in Show – Ida County

Best in Show – Jasper County

Best in Show – Lucas County

Best in Show – Madison County

Best in Show – Marion County

Best in Show – Marshall County

Best in Show – Mills County

Best in Show – Monona County

Best in Show – Montgomery County

Best in Show – Page County

Best in Show – Pocahontas County

Best in Show – Polk County

Best in Show – Poweshiek County

Best in Show – Ringgold County

Best in Show – Sac County

Best in Show – Shelby County

Best in Show – Story County

Best in Show – Tama County

Best in Show – Taylor County

Best in Show – Union County

Best in Show – Warren County

Best in Show – Webster County

Best in Show – Worth County

Best in Show – Wright County

The next time we hit the open road for THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT that open road will take us all the way to Bremer County.

Art, Mom, Road Trip, Town Sign Project

Town Sign Project: Shelby County

November 16, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett

A few weeks back I made a solo town harvesting trip to Shelby County.

Here are some facts about Shelby County:

+ Population is 11,746. Making it the 65th most populous county in Iowa. Below Lyon County and above Cherokee County.
+ The largest town and county seat is Harlan.
+ Formed in 1851.
+ Named after Revolutionary War hero Isaac Shelby.
+ Major highways are: US-59, IA-37, IA-44, IA-173, and IA-191.
+ Adjacent counties are: Crawford, Audubon, Cass, Pottawattamie, and Harrison.
+ Population peaked in 1900 at 17.932.

The Shelby County Courthouse is pretty:

The Shelby County Courthouse in Harlan, Iowa.

The Shelby County Courthouse is located in Earling, Iowa:

With Shelby County conquered, this is the updated Photography 139 Conquest Map:

PURPLE=COMPLETED

45 counties completed. 45.5% of the Cyclone State conquered.

Here are the town signs of Shelby County:

Harlan, Iowa
HARLAN
A growing tradition
Population: 4,893 (+48)

Shelby, Iowa
WELCOME TO SHELBY
Population: 727 (+76)

Elk Horn, Iowa
Welcome to ELK HORN
Population: 601 (+65)

Earling, Iowa
WELCOME TO EARLING
Population: 397 (+27)

Irwin, Iowa
Welcome to… IRWIN
Home of the…. STATE CHAMPS
Population: 319 (-25)

Defiance, Iowa
welcome to DEFIANCE
Population: 245 (+41)

Panama, Iowa
RIDE-WALK-RUN PANAMA
EST 1882
Population: 235 (+31)

Portsmouth, Iowa
WELCOME TO PORTSMOUTH
BIGGEST LITTLE TOWN IN THE U.S.
Population: 182 (+56)

Portsmouth back of sign.

Westphalia, Iowa
WELCOME TO WESTPHALIA IOWA
FOUNDED 1872
Population: 123 (-23)

Tennant, Iowa
WELCOME TO TENNANT
EST. 1903
Population: 78 (+8)

Kirkman, Iowa
WELCOME TO KIRKMAN
Population: 56 (-12)

Shelby County has a solid but maybe not spectacular collection of signs. I don’t know that there is a bad sign, but if I have to give a worst sign out, I’d give it to Westphalia. Looks like the cornerstone to a bank.

As for Best in Show in Shelby County, I love the sign in Portsmouth and I don’t usually count murals as town signs, but this mural is definitely the first thing you see when you pull into Panama, but Best in Show clearly goes to Elk Horn:

Elk Horn – Best in Show – Shelby County

There are a few alternate town signs in Shelby County:

Westphalia Alternate

Portsmouth Alternate

Portsmouth Alternate Back

Panama Alternate

Earling Alternate

Best in Show – Adair County

Best in Show – Adams County

Best in Show – Audubon County

Best in Show – Benton County

Best in Show – Boone County

Best in Show – Butler County

Best in Show – Calhoun County

Best in Show – Carroll County

Best in Show – Cass County

Best in Show – Cerro Gordo County

Best in Show – Clarke County

Best in Show – Crawford County

Best in Show – Dallas County

Best in Show – Franklin County

Best in Show – Fremont County

Best in Show – Greene County

Best in Show – Grundy County

Best in Show – Guthrie County

Best in Show – Hamilton County

Best in Show – Hancock County

Best in Show – Hardin County

Best in Show – Humboldt County

Best in Show – Ida County

Best in Show – Jasper County

Best in Show – Lucas County

Best in Show – Madison County

Best in Show – Marion County

Best in Show – Marshall County

Best in Show – Monona County

Best in Show – Montgomery County

Best in Show – Page County

Best in Show – Pocahontas County

Best in Show – Polk County

Best in Show – Poweshiek County

Best in Show – Ringgold Count

Best in Show – Sac County

Best in Show – Shelby County

Best in Show – Story County

Best in Show – Tama County

Best in Show – Taylor County

Best in Show – Union County

Best in Show – Warren County

Best in Show – Webster County

Best in Show – Worth County

Best in Show – Wright County

The next time we hit the open road for THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT it will take us all the way to Mills County.

Art, Road Trip, Town Sign Project

Town Sign Project: Monona County

November 9, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

A few weeks back I cruised around Monona County on a solo town sign harvesting trip.

Here are some facts about Monona County:

+ Population is 8,751, making it the 84th most populous county in Iowa. Below Greene County and above Lucas County.
+ The largest town and county seat is Onawa.
+ Was a stopping point in 1804 for Lewis and Clark.
+ Where the Turin Man was discovered.
+ Formed in 1851.
+ Possibly names for an “Indian” word meaning beautiful valley.
+ Major highways are I-29, IA-37, IA-141, IA-175, and IA-183.
+ Adjacent counties are Woodbury, Crawford, and Harrison.
+ Population peaked in 18,238 in 1940.

The Monona County Courthouse is fair:

The Monona County Courthouse in Onawa, Iowa.

The Monona County Freedom Rock is located in Onawa, Iowa:

With Monona County conquered, this is the updated Photography 139 Conquest Map:

PURPLE=COMPLETED

44 counties completed. 44.4% of the Cyclone State conquered.

Here are the town signs of Monona County:

Onawa, Iowa
EST. 1857
IOWA’S BEST KEPT SECRET
ONAWA
WIDEST MAIN STREET IN THE U.S.A.
Population: 2,906 (-92)

Mapleton, Iowa
Mapleton
Population: 1,165 (-59)

Whiting, Iowa
welcome to WHITING
Population: 745 (-17)

Ute, Iowa
UTE
Population: 338(-36)

Blencoe, Iowa
Welcome To Blencoe
“You Are Among Friends”
Populatoin: 233 (+9)

Moorhead, Iowa
MOORHEAD
Population: 199 (-27)

Soldier, Iowa
SOLDIER
Population: 184 (+10)

Castana, Iowa
Welcome To Castana
Established 1886
Population: 107 (-40)

Turin, Iowa
WELCOME TO TURIN
HEART OF THE LOESS HILLS
Population: 72 (+4)

Rodney, Iowa
RODNEY
“ON THE GROW”
Population: 45 (-15)

Grant Center, Iowa – Unincorporated
GRANT CENTER
ESTABLISHED 1881
LITTLE SIOUX VALLEY

I don’t think there is a bad town sign in Monona County, so I’m not going to single one out for having the worst.

Despite there being some really solid town signs, I think the best is pretty obvious. It goes to Onawa. The rare triple crown winner. County Seat, Home of the Freedom Rock, and Home of the Best Town Sign.

Onawa – Best in Show – Monona County

And yes, their main street is very wide. I think 8 lanes wide. There are no alternate town signs in Monona County.

Here is the current list of Best in Shows:

Best in Show – Adair County

Best in Show – Adams County

Best in Show – Audubon County

Best in Show – Benton County

Best in Show – Boone County

Best in Show – Butler County

Best in Show – Calhoun County

Best in Show – Carroll County

Best in Show – Cass County

Best in Show – Cerro Gordo County

Best in Show – Clarke County

Best in Show – Crawford County

Best in Show – Dallas County

Best in Show – Franklin County

Best in Show – Fremont County

Best in Show – Greene County

Best in Show – Grundy County

Best in Show – Guthrie County

Best in Show – Hamilton County

Best in Show – Hancock County

Best in Show – Hardin County

Best in Show – Humboldt County

Best in Show – Ida County

Best in Show – Jasper County

Best in Show – Lucas County

Best in Show – Madison County

Best in Show – Marion County

Best in Show – Marshall County

Best in Show – Monona County

Best in Show – Montgomery County

Best in Show – Page County

Best in Show – Pocahontas County

Best in Show – Polk County

Best in Show – Poweshiek County

Best in Show – Ringgold Count

Best in Show – Sac County

Best in Show – Story County

Best in Show – Tama County

Best in Show – Taylor County

Best in Show – Union County

Best in Show – Warren County

Best in Show – Webster County

Best in Show – Worth County

Best in Show – Wright County

Next time we visit THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT, we will visit Shelby County.

Art, Road Trip, Town Sign Project

Town Sign Project: Ringgold County

November 3, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett

A few weeks back I cruised around Ringgold County on a solo town sign harvesting trip. I actually harvested the town signs of 3 different counties on this trip. Ringgold was the last of the three counties.

Here are some facts about Ringgold County:

+ Population is 4,663 making it the 98th most populous county in Iowa. Below Audubon County and above Adams County.
+ Named after Major Samuel Ringgold a hero of the Battle of Palo Alto during the Mexican-American War. It is one of 26 counties in Iowa that has a completely unique name.
+ Mount Ayr is the largest town and county seat.
+ The birthplace of Hy-Vee.
+ Birthplace of astronaut Peggy Whitson.
+ Major highways are US-169, IA-2, and IA-25.
+ Adjacent counties are Union, Decatur, and Taylor.
+ Population peaked in 1900 at 15,325.

The Ringgold County Courthouse is fairly nondescript.

The Ringgold County Courthouse in Mount Ayr, Iowa.

The Ringgold County Freedom Rock is located in Diagonal, Iowa:

With Ringgold County conquered, this is the updated Photography 139 Conquest Map:

PURPLE=COMPLETED

43 counties completed. 43.4% of the Cyclone State conquered.

Here are the town signs of Ringgold County:

Mount Ayr, Iowa
Mount Ayr
ESTABLISHED 1855
Population: 1,623 (-68)

Diagonal, Iowa
WELCOME TO DIAGONAL
EST. 1888
Population: 344 (+14)

Kellerton, Iowa
WELCOME TO KELLERTON
EST. 1881
Population: 243 (-72)

Tingley, Iowa
TINGLEY
EST. 1883
Population: 136 (-48)

Redding, Iowa
U.S. POST OFFICE REDDING, IA 50860
Population: 63 (-19)

Benton, Iowa
Welcome to BENTON
EST. 1889
Once a Railroad Town
Population: 39 (-2)

Delphos, Iowa
DELPHOS
Population: 26 (+1)

Maloy, Iowa
MALOY
EST. 1887
Population: 22 (-7)

Ellston, Iowa
WELCOME TO ELLSTON
EST. 1881
Population: 19

Beaconsfield, Iowa
Welcome to BEACONSFIELD
EST. 1881
HOME OF ASTRONAUT PEGGY WHITSON
SITE OF THE FIRST HY-VEE
Population: 15 (0)

Shannon City, Iowa (Partially in Union County)
Shannon City 2 ->
Population: 73 (-12)

I think it is pretty obvious that Shannon City has the worst town sign. Just a DOT sign. Obviously Delphos isn’t much better, but somehow their DOT sign manages to have more character. Redding isn’t great, but at least they had a post office to photograph.

But what gets Best in Show for Ringgold County? There really isn’t that sign that blows me away, but there are a couple that I really like. Maloy and Benton. I’m going to give it to Maloy by hair because it more colorful.

Maloy – Best in Show – Ringgold County

Only one town had an alternate town sign:

Diagonal – Alternate

Here is the current list of Best in Shows:

Best in Show – Adair County

Best in Show – Adams County

Best in Show – Audubon County

Best in Show – Benton County

Best in Show – Boone County

Best in Show – Butler County

Best in Show – Calhoun County

Best in Show – Carroll County

Best in Show – Cass County

Best in Show – Cerro Gordo County

Best in Show – Clarke County

Best in Show – Crawford County

Best in Show – Dallas County

Best in Show – Franklin County

Best in Show – Fremont County

Best in Show – Greene County

Best in Show – Grundy County

Best in Show – Guthrie County

Best in Show – Hamilton County

Best in Show – Hancock County

Best in Show – Hardin County

Best in Show – Humboldt County

Best in Show – Ida County

Best in Show – Jasper County

Best in Show – Lucas County

Best in Show – Madison County

Best in Show – Marion County

Best in Show – Marshall County

Best in Show – Montgomery County

Best in Show – Page County

Best in Show – Pocahontas County

Best in Show – Polk County

Best in Show – Poweshiek County

Best in Show – Ringgold Count

Best in Show – Sac County

Best in Show – Story County

Best in Show – Tama County

Best in Show – Taylor County

Best in Show – Union County

Best in Show – Warren County

Best in Show – Webster County

Best in Show – Worth County

Best in Show – Wright County

The next time we hit the open road for THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT, we will hit it in Monona County.

Art, Town Sign Project

Town Sign Project: Taylor County

October 26, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett

A few weeks back I cruised around Taylor County on a solo town sign harvesting tip. I actually harvested the towns signs of 3 different counties on this trip.

Here are some facts about Taylor County:

+ Population is 5,896. The 96th most populous county in Iowa. Below Osceola County and above Audubon County.
+ Bedford is the largest town and county seat.
+ Formed in 1847 and named after President Zachary Taylor.
+ Major highways are IA-2, IA-25, and IA-148.
+ Adjacent counties are Adams, Ringgold, and Page.
+ Population peaked at 18,784 in 1900.

Taylor County has a beautiful courthouse. Definitely one of the top courthouses so far:

The Taylor County Courthouse located in Bedford, Iowa.

The Taylor County Freedom Rock is located in Blockton, Iowa:

With Taylor County conquered, this is the updated Photography 139 Conquest Map:

PURPLE=COMPLETED

42 counties completed. 42.4% of the Cyclone State conquered.

Here are the town signs of Taylor County:

Bedford, Iowa
BEDFORD
Population: 1,508 (+68)

Lenox, Iowa
WELCOME TO LENOX
EST. – 1872
Population: 1,339 (-68)

New Market, Iowa
NEW MARKET
Population: 385 (-30)

Clearfield, Iowa
Welcome To: CLEARFIELD
Small TOWN HUGE JULY 4th Celebration!
Iowa’s Largest LIONS CLUB
Home of the IOWA STATE FAIR SHUTTLE BUSSES
Population: 278 (-79)

Blockton, Iowa
BLOCKTON
Population: 154 (-38)

Gravity, Iowa
“WE’RE DONT TO EARTH”
GRAVITY, IA.
“IF GRAVITY GOES, WE ALL GO”
Population: 125 (-67)

Sharpsburg, Iowa
WELCOME TO SHARPSBURG
Population: 72 (-17)

Conway, Iowa
WELCOME TO CONWAY
Population: 17 (-24)

I think there are some pretty solid signs in Taylor County. But the worst has to be Bedford’s. I can’t place what it is, but it just looks wrong. Like the design elements don’t quite go together.

There really isn’t a need for a discussion. Gravity clearly has the best town sign in Taylor County:

Gravity – Best in Show – Taylor County

A couple towns have alternate signs:

New Market – Alternate

Gravity – Alternate

Clearfield – Alternate

Bedford – Alternate

Here is the current list of Best in Shows:

Best in Show – Adair County

Best in Show – Adams County

Best in Show – Audubon County

Best in Show – Benton County

Best in Show – Boone County

Best in Show – Butler County

Best in Show – Calhoun County

Best in Show – Carroll County

Best in Show – Cass County

Best in Show – Cerro Gordo County

Best in Show – Clarke County

Best in Show – Crawford County

Best in Show – Dallas County

Best in Show – Franklin County

Best in Show – Fremont County

Best in Show – Greene County

Best in Show – Grundy County

Best in Show – Guthrie County

Best in Show – Hamilton County

Best in Show – Hancock County

Best in Show – Hardin County

Best in Show – Humboldt County

Best in Show – Ida County

Best in Show – Jasper County

Best in Show – Lucas County

Best in Show – Madison County

Best in Show – Marion County

Best in Show – Marshall County

Best in Show – Montgomery County

Best in Show – Page County

Best in Show – Pocahontas County

Best in Show – Polk County

Best in Show – Poweshiek County

Best in Show – Sac County

Best in Show – Story County

Best in Show – Tama County

Best in Show – Taylor County

Best in Show – Union County

Best in Show – Warren County

Best in Show – Webster County

Best in Show – Worth County

Best in Show – Wright County

The next time we hit the open road for THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT we will end up in Ringgold County.

Art, History, Town Sign Project

Town Sign Project: Page County

October 19, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett 1 Comment

A few weeks back I cruised around Page County on a solo town sign harvesting trip. I actually harvested the town signs of 3 different counties on this trip. Reaping the fruits of a slightly new harvesting plan. And you definitely reap what you sow.

Here are some facts about Page County:

+ The population is 15,211. The 50th most populous county in Iowa. Below Floyd County and above Hamilton County.
+ Clarinda is the largest town and county seat.
+ Named after Captain John Page who was killed in the Battle of Palo Alto in the Mexican-American War.
+ Birthplace of Glenn Miller.
+ Major highways are US-71, IA-2, US-59, and IA-48.
+ Adjacent counties are Montgomery, Taylor, and Fremont.
+ Population peaked in 25,904.

Page County has a beautiful courthouse:

The Page County Courthouse located in Clarinda, Iowa.

The Page County Freedom Rock is located in Clarinda, Iowa:

With Page County conquered, this is the updated Photography 139 Conquest Map:

PURPLE=COMPLETED

41 counties completed. 41.4% of the Cyclone State conquered.

Here are the town signs of Page County:

Clarinda, Iowa
CLARINDA
Population: 5,369 (-203)

Shenandoah, Iowa
Shenandoah
Our Pride is Growing…
Population: 4,925 (-225)

Essex, Iowa
ESSEX
EST 1870
Population: 722 (-76)

Coin, Iowa
Welcome To COIN
Est. 1879
Population: 176 (-17)

College Springs, Iowa
COLLEGE SPRINGS, IOWA
ESTABLISHED 1855
Population: 172 (-42)

Shambaugh, Iowa
Shambaugh
Small town, big heart
Est. 1881
Population: 159 (-32)

Braddyville, Iowa
BRADDYVILLE CITY HALL
Population: 147 (-12)

Yorktown, Iowa
WELCOME TO YORKTOWN
PAGE COUNTY
Population: 60 (-25)

Northboro, Iowa
WELCOME TO NORTHBORO
EST 1881
Population: 52 (-6)

Blanchard, Iowa
Welcome To BLANCHARD IA, 51630
Population: 38 (-9)

Hepburn, Iowa
Hepburn 2 ->
Population: 26 (+3)

The worst town sign of Page County is pretty obvious. Hepburn. They only have a DOT sign. Although Braddyville isn’t much better when the best I can come up for them is a City Hall sign.

I think the Best in Show sign is actually pretty obvious as well. It is the College Springs sign:

College Springs – Best in Show – Page County

College Springs has a really interesting history. It was once the home to Amity College. Amity College had a football team among other sports. According to the website lostcolleges.com, common opponents for their sports teams were Tabor College (remember them from last week) Corning Academy of Iowa, Creighton, Bellevue, Kirksville Osteopathic, Northwest Teachers, and Chillicothe Business College of Missouri. However, the also played The University of Missouri. In 1897, Amity College hosted Missouri. According to the same website that makes College Springs the smallest town to ever host a game involving a major college. However, the University of Missouri doesn’t seem to have a great online source for information on the early years of their football program. According to the Wikipedia “article” on the 1897 Missouri football season, that game was actually played in nearby Coin. I’m not sure which website I trust on that. The two websites also disagree on when the second matchup between the two teams happened. One list 1897. The other in 1898.

Also, if you look on the College Springs sign you will see what looks like an interesting slide. You will also see a sign that says Crystal Lake, 1918-1943. Those two things are connected. I can find hardly anything about that slide. However, I did find a few pictures of the slide on Flickr from 2009. If you Google College Spring, Iowa flickr you will find those pictures. Since those pictures are over 12 years old, I have no clue if the ruins of that old water park are still around. I have my doubts, but I might keep researching.

Only one town has an alternate sign:

Shenandoah – Alternate

Here is the current list of Best in Shows:

Best in Show – Adair County

Best in Show – Adams County

Best in Show – Audubon County

Best in Show – Benton County

Best in Show – Boone County

Best in Show – Butler County

Best in Show – Calhoun County

Best in Show – Carroll County

Best in Show – Cass County

Best in Show – Cerro Gordo County

Best in Show – Clarke County

Best in Show – Crawford County

Best in Show – Dallas County

Best in Show – Franklin County

Best in Show – Fremont County

Best in Show – Greene County

Best in Show – Grundy County

Best in Show – Guthrie County

Best in Show – Hamilton County

Best in Show – Hancock County

Best in Show – Hardin County

Best in Show – Humboldt County

Best in Show – Ida County

Best in Show – Jasper County

Best in Show – Lucas County

Best in Show – Madison County

Best in Show – Marion County

Best in Show – Marshall County

Best in Show – Montgomery County

Best in Show – Page County

Best in Show – Pocahontas County

Best in Show – Polk County

Best in Show – Poweshiek County

Best in Show – Sac County

Best in Show – Story County

Best in Show – Tama County

Best in Show – Union County

Best in Show – Warren County

Best in Show – Webster County

Best in Show – Worth County

Best in Show – Wright County

The next time we hit the open road for THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT we will end up in Taylor County.