Historical Markers
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Self-guided · County in Iowa

Local History Research in Butler County, IA

A starting map for anyone researching the history of a place, with every listed site, its location and its source.

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Butler County is one of 99 counties in Iowa. Researchers working on Butler County, IA usually start at the courthouse. The listed sites around it are often the fastest way to see what the records describe.

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On the record near Butler County, IA

The 12 nearest

94 listed historic sites on the record within 30 miles of Butler County, IA. 7 listed sites carry Butler County as their county.

  1. Cherry Street Bridge8.8 miles from the center of Butler County · Structure · Shell Rock · listed 1998National Register of Historic Places
  2. Shell Rock Bridge9.0 miles from the center of Butler County · Structure · Shell Rock · listed 1999National Register of Historic Places
  3. Renken, Renke and Wubke, House9.0 miles from the center of Butler County · Building · Parkersburg · listed 2014National Register of Historic Places
  4. Netcott--Pfeiffer House9.1 miles from the center of Butler County · Building · Parkersburg · listed 2007National Register of Historic Places
  5. McBride, Charles H. & Theresa H., Bungalow9.1 miles from the center of Butler County · Building · Shell Rock · listed 2011National Register of Historic Places
  6. Wolf, Charles, House9.2 miles from the center of Butler County · Building · Parkersburg · listed 1979National Register of Historic Places
  7. Coldwater Church of the Brethren13 miles from the center of Butler County · Building · Greene · listed 1979National Register of Historic Places
  8. Wartburg Teachers' Seminary14 miles from the center of Butler County · Building · Waverly · listed 1978National Register of Historic Places
  9. Waverly House14 miles from the center of Butler County · Building · Waverly · listed 1976National Register of Historic Places
  10. Waverly Municipal Hydroelectric Powerhouse15 miles from the center of Butler County · Building · Waverly · listed 2026National Register of Historic Places
  11. Third Street Bridge (FHWA No. 012250)15 miles from the center of Butler County · Structure · Waverly · listed 2018National Register of Historic Places
  12. Bremer County Court House15 miles from the center of Butler County · Building · Waverly · listed 2003National Register of Historic Places

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

Local History Research in Butler County, step by step

  1. 1

    Pull every listed site in the area with its source

  2. 2

    Match the sites to the records you are working from

  3. 3

    Visit and photograph what still stands

  4. 4

    Note anything missing, moved or wrong on the record

  5. 5

    Submit corrections and photos so the record improves

What people in Butler County, IA ask first

How much does it cost to visit these sites in Butler 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.

Can I correct a mistake in a listing?

Yes. Send a photo, a location fix or a note with your source, and it is checked before it changes the record. People who visit the sites are the best check the record has.

Does this replace the official register files?

No. It points you to them. Each site names its source so you can go to the full nomination file or marker program record for the deeper detail.

How a visit works in Butler County

  1. Step 1

    Find the place

    Every stop starts as a pin with real coordinates. In Butler 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 Butler 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 Butler County, IA

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