The streets were laid out parallel and perpendicular to the river, which flowed from the northwest to the southeast.

The Chicago, Iowa and Nebraska Railroad was the first to arrive in the community in 1859 and the tracks were laid on Fourth Street on the eastern edge of the central business district.

After the American Civil War they began to be replaced by more substantial masonry structures.

The buildings have housed a variety of commercial functions that include retail, office buildings, banking, post office, public library, industrial, saloon/restaurant, theater, hotel, and a social hall.

This article about a property in Linn County, Iowa on the National Register of Historic Places is a stub.