Centerville:: A Mid-American Saga

by Enfys McMurry

From the moment that the surveyor set down his tools in 1846 to the instant that the Flying Farmers crossed the sky at the centennial celebration, the history of Centerville, Iowa, has gifted us with a unique insight into the mid-American experience. Though the population never exceeded 8,600, immigrants from more than forty different countries created a community that was both melting pot and crucible--just like the nation at large. The town forged an identity through the Underground Railroad, the Civil War, race relations, education debates and World Wars I and II while its people survived the dark history of Prohibition, crime, the Ku Klux Klan, the Mafia and the Depression. In this definitive history, Enfys McMurry captures both the particular feelings of Centerville's citizens and how they reflected and participated in the larger American story.

752 pages, Paperback

First published January 15, 2013

Reviews

[John Benson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book as I have been going to Centerville for more than 30 years now and had heard about it long before I first went there. My grandfather was pastor of the Swedish Lutheran church in the town in the late 1940s and my father-in-law was the president of one of the banks in town until he retired. The book gives a 100-year history of the town and ties it what was happening in Centerville, Iowa from 1846 through 1946 to national events and happenings. Enfys McMurry is a Welsh women who taught at Indian Hills Community College for many years and often led historical walks around the city. The book is very well written and would be a nice addition to any American history course to give a sense of the impact of national and international events on a local small town.