[4] After the turn of the 20th century Centerville's coal mining industry attracted European immigrants from Sweden, Italy, Croatia, and Albania.

[5] Centerville is also home of the largest town square in the state of Iowa.

When incorporation papers were filed in 1855, someone mistook the name for a misspelling and corrected it to Centerville.

Centerville Block's largest competitor, formed around the same time, was the Scandinavian Coal Company, organized by a group of Swedish immigrants.

A centrifugal blower 12 feet in diameter provided ventilation, and compressed air was used to power mining machinery.

[12][13] Local Assembly 1020 of the Knights of Labor was based in Centerville and had a membership of 150 in 1884.

[14] On April 1, 1885, 325 miners in town went on strike, protesting a 20% drop in wages reflecting a decrease in the demand for coal during the summer months.

[15] Later, the United Mine Workers of America had a very strong presence in Centerville.

In 1910, the Scandinavian Coal Company drilled a 550-foot exploratory hole in Centerville, discovering a deposit of gypsum and anhydrite 10 feet thick near the bottom.

Water problems delayed the opening of the mine until 1917, and commercial production began in 1919.

[18] The Sunshine mine, about 3 miles west of Centerville (number 30 on the map), was very small in 1908, with just a horse-powered hoist at the pit head.

After that point, as usage dwindled, the coal industry that had been the community's life blood collapsed.

In 2007, the former Rubbermaid building was purchased by Lee Container, a manufacturer of products made of high density polyethylene plastic resin.

[citation needed] The Southern Iowa Railroad was an electric interurban connecting Centerville to Moravia with a branch to Mystic.

The APNC was succeeded by the Iowa Southern Railway in 2016 and still provides rail service to the city.

[31] Pancake Day has been attended by Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver; James Cash Penney;[32] Philip W. Pillsbury; former Governor of New York, W. Averell Harriman; Muriel Humphrey; Rocky Marciano; and Centerville Native Simon Estes.

[33] Entertainers have included Thomas Ian Nicholas, Barbara Mandrell, and Minnie Pearl.

Central Ward Elementary closed in 2020 when classes were moved to Lakeview Elememtary.

Iowa Southern Railway (ISRY), formerly Appanoose County Community Railroad, is operated by Progressive Rail, Inc. with class one connections with BNSF, CP, and NS.

Windstream Holdings, Mediacom, and Natel offer cable television, landline telephone, and internet service.

Recycling services are available at the Rathbun Area Solid Waste Commission (RASWC).