Abandoned Iowa

Service Stations
Delta, IA

Just off the main strip through the small town of Delta lies the final resting place of a small service station. The largely lettered advertisements still try their best to entice passer-byes  however, the crumbling foundation, warped roof, and flaking paint drive most potential customers away.

A few blocks away, the gray remains of another service station-like business still stand. A large concrete platform with a pumping mechanism stands in front of the deteriorating, yet solid, building. Three concrete stalls behind the building have been graffitied on by would-be artists. (Anyone know what the stalls might have been for?)

Shaddy’s Steakhouse
Montezuma, IA

Formerly a hotel, Shaddy’s steakhouse used to be the go-to restaurant in the area. Now sits abandoned just off of the main drag through Montezuma The building itself is very unique. The brick patterns and construction are an echo of early 20th century architecture.

I couldn’t find much more information regarding the building on the internet, if anyone has any history about the place, Id love to hear it. Just shoot me a message or comment.

Main Street
What Cheer, Iowa

I frequently travel to the Iowa City and Coralville areas in eastern Iowa and every time I do I travel down Interstate-80 and see an exit for What Cheer, and every time I do, I think about how interesting of a name that is for a town, but my first actual visit revealed that the town itself is also rather interesting.

A tip from a fan mentioned that the entire main street through What Cheer is almost entirely deserted; they weren’t wrong. Very, very few businesses remain on the main drag. I usually see this level of neglect at forgotten schools or buildings in the middle of nowhere, not the middle of a town. A peek into one of the large windowed fronts revealed a cafe that could be open for business if it weren’t for the collapsing roof, rotting plaster and crumbling walls. 

A What Cheer local (and friend of mine) tells me that the town use to be a bustling city supported by the business from the local coal pit, however as with many small Iowan coal communities, once the coal industry dried up, so did the town.

Service Station
South of New Sharon, IA

Just south of New Sharon, along a bend in Highway 63 among a small grove of trees, rests the decaying remains of a former service station. The structures are almost unidentifiable, but closer inspection of their interior reveals remnants of refrigerators  freezers, and car parts. Whether these were left after the business closed or were dumped was unclear.

Purina Chow and Feed Elevator
New Sharon, IA

If you happen to visit the south-east side of the small-town of New Sharon, then you have inescapably noticed this monolith of a grain elevator. Constructed entirely out of concrete, this massive spire of an elevator once dispensed feed grains onto farm trucks and rail cars. The Purina logo is just faintly visible near the crown of this monument to a different era.

Rose Hill School/main street
Rose Hill, IA

Just a few miles down from Oskaloosa resides the quaint town of Rose Hill. With just over a population of 168 as of 2010, the town is hardly booming. In fact, I wasn’t able to find a single open and operating business along the main strip through the town other than the post office, which given the struggle of the postal service, may end up closing and dis-incorporate the town.

My primary reason for heading to Rose Hill was to document the large school building on the northern edge of town. Much like the other consolidated, and otherwise abandoned schools from the early to mid 1900’s, Rose Hill was just as dilapidated and hollow. All of the windows were boarded, or previously boarded up. Sadly, there is a trailer house and someones home on the property of the school otherwise I would have taken some better pictures.

Country House
Near Oskaloosa, IA

Little information is to be found regarding this modest home on a small piece of land east of Oskaloosa. Judging from the state of decomposition its currently in, I estimate that this humble abode has been abandoned for 20 to 30 years. Aside from the obvious issues, the ground around the home is starting to become unstable; the yard was littered with deep sink holes and the foundation itself was exposed to soil erosion in some areas. A quick peek in the windows revealed many personal belongings: a pair of boots, a mattress and box springs, calendars, coffee tables. I cant help but think that maybe these are the relics of squatters, or the leftovers from a garbage run, rather than its former occupants.