Homer, Iowa

Unincorporated community in Iowa, United States

42°22′26″N 93°55′25″W / 42.37389°N 93.92361°W / 42.37389; -93.92361CountryUnited StatesStateIowaCountyHamiltonElevation

1,168 ft (356 m)Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST)) • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)Area code515GNIS feature ID464583^[1]

Homer was an unincorporated community in Webster Township, Hamilton County, Iowa, United States.^[1] Homer was located near the county's western border with Webster County, 8.6 miles (13.8 km) southwest of Webster City.

History

The community was founded in 1853, before Hamilton County split from Webster County, and was Webster County's original county seat and home to its first post office.^[2] It was named for the Greek poet Homer.^[1] An annual threshing bee is held in Homer.^[3]

The original Homer plat showed 42 blocks, with streets from the north of First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth. The south edge of the plat had no street, but today it is the blacktop south of Homer. The north–south streets were named Walnut, Water, Main, Washington, and Chestnut. At its peak, Homer had 600 residents. The post office closed in 1913. The only surviving buildings of note are the Methodist Church (which was moved roughly 5 miles east in 2023) and the old general store, which has been converted into a small engine shop. Most of the land in Homer has reverted to farmland. Homer's population was 33 in 1902,^[4] and 79 in 1925.^[5]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Homer". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
^ Williams, William Sr. (1869). "History of Webster County, Iowa". The Annals of Iowa (3): 288. Archived from the original on December 1, 2015. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
^ "Old tractors, engines draw visitors from around the world to Homer, Iowa". Radio Iowa. August 24, 2013. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
^ Cram's Modern Atlas: The New Unrivaled New Census Edition. J. R. Gray & Company. 1902. pp. 203–207.
^ Premier Atlas of the World: Containing Maps of All Countries of the World, with the Most Recent Boundary Decisions, and Maps of All the States,territories, and Possessions of the United States with Population Figures from the Latest Official Census Reports, Also Data of Interest Concerning International and Domestic Political Questions. Rand McNally & Company. 1925. p. 190.