National Register of Historic Places

Red Oak Downtown Historic District

Red Oak, Montgomery County, Iowa
Listed
December 20, 2016
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
16000868

About this property

The Red Oak Downtown Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located in Red Oak, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016. At the time of its nomination it contained 104 resources, which included 73 contributing buildings, eight contributing objects, one contributing site, 15 non-contributing buildings, six non-contributing objects, and one non-contributing structure. The historic district covers most of the city's central business district. It is a flat area of land in an otherwise hilly region. The district is centered on Fountain Square, a public green space around which the town had been platted in 1857. A second public square was added in 1890 for the Montgomery County Courthouse after Red Oak won a special election to move the county seat from Frankfort. The district contains a mix of attached commercial buildings and free-standing government, commercial and light industrial buildings. The courthouse (1891), Red Oak Firehouse and City Jail (1898/1901), and the Red Oak Public Library (1909) are all individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Most of the buildings are two-part commercial blocks that reflect the styles and materials that were popular when they were built. The single-story buildings are generally one-part commercial blocks or roadside commercial buildings. Fountain Square is the contributing site and all of the contributing and non-contributing objects are located there, generally as war memorials or park elements.

Location

Red Oak, Montgomery County, Iowa
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Everything a full report reveals about Red Oak Downtown Historic District

This page lists Red Oak Downtown Historic District. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
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Questions about this property

When was Red Oak Downtown Historic District listed on the National Register?

Red Oak Downtown Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 20, 2016.

What type of historic resource is Red Oak Downtown Historic District?

Red Oak Downtown Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Red Oak Downtown Historic District?

The period of significance for Red Oak Downtown Historic District is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Red Oak Downtown Historic District?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Red Oak Downtown Historic District will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

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