Below are links to a few of the documents from our archive collection that have information related to historic properties in Grinnell. This is by no means a complete list of what we have available, but is merely a starting point of some of the most commonly used materials. Several of the materials were compiled by volunteers when the residential district west of the college was added to the National Registry of Historic Places.
For a small number of properties we may have specific information in our collection (less than 20% of residential properties). We have the most information for the commercial district and the historic district on the north side of town. You can try searching your address (just house number and street) in Digital Grinnell to see if a historic photo of the property is included in that collection. Search Digital Grinnell here.
Documents on Grinnell Architecture
Domestic Architecture in Grinnell 1854 to WWI (paper by Pat Murphy in 1976)
Early Grinnell Architects & Builders (mainly commercial properties)
Grinnell Commercial District National Registry of Historic Places documentation (1990)
North Grinnell Historic District Application 2013
North Grinnell Historic District Spreadsheet of Properties Included in 2013
County Records Search
Poweshiek County Auditor Historical Records – Search online using the legal description of the property
Poweshiek County Assessors Information Search – See current information and limited history. Search by name or address.
Maps & Directories
Sanborn Insurance Maps Available years 1883, 1888, 1893, 1898, 1906, 1911, 1922, 1932 (Library of Congress)
1893 Atlas of Poweshiek County (Plat Book)
1930 Plat book of Poweshiek County
1955 Plat book of Poweshiek County
1878 City Directory (transcribed data)
1900 Grinnell City Directory (transcribed data)
1910 Grinnell City Directory (transcribed data)
1914 Poweshiek County Plat Book (from Library of Congress)
1920 Grinnell City Directory (transcribed data)
1962 Grinnell City Directory (scanned)
1970 Grinnell City Directory (scanned)
1972 Grinnell City Directory (scanned)
1975 Grinnell City Directory (scanned)