Historical Markers
Man lights candles on a menorah with others watching people - historic synagogues

Self-guided · County in Iowa

Historic Synagogues in Linn County, IA

Synagogues and Jewish community buildings on the record near you, some among the oldest in the country.

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Photo: Hasan Mrad on Unsplash

Linn County is one of 99 counties in Iowa. The list below comes straight from the published records, with the distance from the center of Linn County, IA and the source for each site.

Women taking photos inside a blue ornate building - historic synagogues
Photo: Hasan Mrad on Unsplash
People entering a building with blue windows - historic synagogues
Photo: Hasan Mrad on Unsplash
Ornate interior of a historic synagogue with benches and balconies - historic synagogues
Photo: Yura Timoshenko on Unsplash

On the record near Linn County, IA

The 12 nearest

15 listed sites on the record match historic synagogues within 300 miles of Linn County, IA, out of 159 listed sites of every kind within 25 miles. 83 listed sites carry Linn County as their county.

  1. B'nai Jacob Synagogue79 miles from the center of Linn County · Building · Ottumwa · listed 2004National Register of Historic Places
  2. Old Synagogue137 miles from the center of Linn County · Building · Madison · listed 1970National Register of Historic Places
  3. Temple Beth Israel202 miles from the center of Linn County · Building · Stevens Point · listed 2007National Register of Historic Places
  4. Jewish People's Institute202 miles from the center of Linn County · Building · Chicago · listed 1978National Register of Historic Places
  5. Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue204 miles from the center of Linn County · Building · Milwaukee · listed 1992National Register of Historic Places
  6. Kehilath Anshe Ma'ariv Synagogue207 miles from the center of Linn County · Building · Chicago · listed 1973National Register of Historic Places
  7. Tifereth B' nai Jacob Synagogue-First Church of God in Christ222 miles from the center of Linn County · Building · Minneapolis · listed 2024National Register of Historic Places
  8. Chevra B'nai Yisroel Synagogue223 miles from the center of Linn County · Building · Council Bluffs · listed 2007National Register of Historic Places
  9. B'Nai Amoona Synogogue242 miles from the center of Linn County · Building · University City · listed 1984National Register of Historic Places
  10. B'nai El Temple247 miles from the center of Linn County · Building · St. Louis (Independent City) · listed 1983National Register of Historic Places
  11. Beth Shalom Synagogue255 miles from the center of Linn County · Building · Kansas City · listed 1982National Register of Historic Places
  12. Temple Israel271 miles from the center of Linn County · Building · Lafayette · listed 1982National Register of Historic Places

Distances are straight-line from the center of Linn County, IA. Many sites are private property or working buildings - view them from the public way. See them on the map.

Historic Synagogues in Linn County, step by step

  1. 1

    See every listed site of this kind in the area

  2. 2

    Sort by distance and pick the closest few

  3. 3

    Read the record for the year, the builder and the use

  4. 4

    View from the public way and note what has changed

  5. 5

    Collect the set and move on to the next county

What people in Linn County, IA ask first

How much does it cost to visit these sites in Linn County, IA?

Most listed sites can be seen from a public road or sidewalk at no cost, and the app is free to use. Some sites are private homes, working churches or museums with their own hours and fees. The record for each one says what it is, so you know before you go.

Where does the information on these sites come from?

From published records: the National Register of Historic Places, the Recorded Texas Historic Landmark program, and the Georgia Historical Society and Georgia Department of Natural Resources marker program. Every site on the page names its source.

Are these buildings open to the public?

Some are, many are not. Churches, courthouses and libraries usually keep regular hours. Houses, barns and mills are often private and best seen from the road. The record for each site tells you which kind it is.

What does it mean when a site is on the National Register?

It means the property was documented and accepted as historically significant. Listing honors the site, it does not open it to visitors or stop an owner from using it.

How a visit works in Linn County

  1. Step 1

    Find the place

    Every stop starts as a pin with real coordinates. In Linn County, IA the map shows what is listed around you and how far each one is, so the first decision is where to go, and it takes a few seconds.

  2. Step 2

    Read the story

    The record behind each marker is kept whole: what happened there, when, who was involved, and why it was worth a sign. You read it standing where it happened, which is the part a textbook cannot give you.

  3. Step 3

    Get there under your own power

    Walk it, run it, hike it, ride it or drive it. Stops in Linn County, IA are chained into routes that fit the way you move, so a lunch break, a long run or a Saturday drive can all pass through history.

  4. Step 4

    Collect it and come back

    Each stop you reach counts toward a badge, and a photo or a correction you send makes the record better for the next person. The map remembers where you have been, so the next trip starts where the last one ended.

The rules that make it work

The record comes first

Every site on these pages comes from a published register or marker program, with its source named. Nothing is listed that is not on the record.

Read the whole story

A marker is a few lines on a post. The story behind it is longer, and it includes the hard parts. Both are worth the stop.

Movement makes it stick

People remember the places they walked to. A route through five markers teaches more than fifty marker pages read on a couch.

Local beats famous

The marker two streets over usually has a better story than the one in the guidebook, and nobody else is standing in front of it.

Respect the ground

Many sites are private homes, working churches or cemeteries. View from the public way, follow posted hours, and leave it as you found it.

Every visitor can improve it

Markers go missing, get moved, or carry mistakes. A photo or a location fix from the person standing there is how the record stays right.

More ways in around Linn County, IA

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