A mix of old and new amid scenic vistas

By Amanda Morgan

A blend of the old and new, Buchanan County offers excellent educational and recreational opportunities for a family or for a personal holiday. Visit the small towns. Search the numerous antique, craft or specialty shops for bargains. Stop in the hometown cafes to enjoy good cooking. Note postings for the flea markets, auctions, and Legion and church suppers.

Buchanan County’s scenery includes rugged bluffs, bubbling springs and picturesque rivers . Northeast Iowa is the most heavily forested portion of Iowa, and beautiful vistas and river valleys are never far away.

Drive through Amish country during the planting and harvesting season and compare the past with the present. The Amish are a devout and private people who farm with Belgian horses and travel by horse and buggy. One of the largest Old Order Amish communities in the country is located throughout Buchanan County. Visit some of the nearly 40 shops around the county if you are interested in quilts, handmade furniture or need harness supplies.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Buchanan County Courthouse , in Independence, features a model of  the “Statue of Liberty” as part of its landscaping. It has a copper finish and was installed in 1950.  Identical statues are installed at the  Bremer County Courthouse in Waverly, and the Iowa Capitol in Des Moines.  Other statues were erected throughout the United States as part of a patriotic campaign. Thirty-nine states had this as a project before the Korean War started, and then the metal was needed for war efforts.  The Buchanan County statue originally cost $350, and was valued at over $35,000 in 2005.

Also on the Historic Register: The Malek Theatre and King’s Opera House in Independence, and the Summit One Room School at the Heartland Acres Agribition Center near Independence.

Buchanan County encompasses the beauty of America’s heartland. It’s a place where hard-working, family-oriented residents make their homes and their livelihoods. In the center of the county is the substantial and growing community of Independence located on the Wapsipinicon River. Surrounding it are towns and unincorporated villages that offer a significant source of skilled labor reserves.

Largest employers include Bertch Cabinet Manufacturing, Wilbert Inc., and Wal-Mart Stores.

Sources: http://www.growbuchanan.com/, http://www.buchanancountyhistory.com/index.php, http://www.indycommerce.com/historicalattractions.php, http://www.iowaworkforce.org/LMI/empstat/buchanan.pdf.

Aurora pop. 194
Brandon pop. 311
Fairbank pop. 1041
Hazleton pop. 950
Independence pop. 6014
Jesup pop. 2212
Lamont pop. 503
Quasqueton pop. 574
Rowley pop. 290
Stanley pop. 128
Winthrop pop. 772