I visited St. John the Evangelist of Independence, Iowa way back in 2011, and then didn’t even get around to posting the photographs until 2018 (third and fourth pictures down). Interestingly, the transepts have double lancet windows, as opposed to a rose window. The front façade is even more impressive when it’s not cloudy, like…
Tag: Independence IA
Independence Mental Health Institute, Revisited
I thought the photos of the impressive Second Empire expanse of the Independence State Hospital were too cloudy, so we went back on a bright sunny day to get better photos. See the original post from July of 2021 for more original historical photos and plans on this Kirkbride plan institution.
Around Buchanan County, Iowa, July 2022
Update: New photography added in July of 2023. In a clockwise route, we explored various small towns in Buchanan County, starting in the northeast with Lamont, where we first spied this foundation above left behind but incorporated into a horse enclosure. There was also a half-flounder downtown on the main street, though I don’t know…
First Street East, Independence, Iowa
The panoramic photo of downtown Independence serves us well again, as we can now look up and down First Street East to the east and west (where the Wapsipinicon Mill is visible to the far left). You can see the mill to the left; its view would have been partially blocked if the east mill…
Second Avenue Northeast, Independence, Iowa
Praise the Lord for Frederick J. Bandholtz and his panoramic photos of several towns around northeastern Iowa, including the downtown of Independence. Above you can see straight ahead Second Avenue Northeast, which looks much the same now as it did then. We’ll start up at the north end of the block at Second Street Northeast…
Munson Building, Independence, Iowa
Update: New improved photography added in July of 2023. We spotted the Munson Building from a block away, and immediately our interest was piqued. At first, we thought it was the old Buchanan County Courthouse, and then, when we got a little closer, we assumed it was a church. Then we got up close, and…
Interior, Wapsipinicon Mill, Independence, Iowa
The interior of the Wapsipinicon Mill is very well preserved, and shows most of the original wood machinery that ground flour and functioned as other types of milling over the life of the building. Of particular interest was a board that had once faced the interior of a grain shoot that had been worn smooth…
Wapsipinicon Mill, Independence, Iowa
Occasionally, I kick myself for coming within one block or less of some amazing building and totally missing it. That is certainly the case of the historic Wapsipinicon Mill in Independence, Iowa, which I drove within about five hundred feet in 2011 and 2018 without even noticing. I corrected those mistakes this visit, and extensively…
From the Vault: Independence, Iowa
Update: I went back and checked out Independence in July of 2021. See photos of the Mental Health Institution from that trip here. I also revisited First Street East, which you can see here. In the far distance in the picture above, you can see the Wapsipinicon Mill, which I also visited in July of…