Bloomfield, Iowa

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Bloomfield, Iowa
settlement_type = City
nickname =
motto =

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mapsize = 250x200px
map_caption = Location of Bloomfield, Iowa


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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name =
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 =
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Davis
government_footnotes =
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leader_title =
leader_name =
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unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =

area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 6.0
area_land_km2 = 5.9
area_water_km2 = 0.1
area_total_sq_mi = 2.3
area_land_sq_mi = 2.3
area_water_sq_mi = 0.0

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 2601
population_density_km2 = 442.1
population_density_sq_mi = 1145.0

timezone = Central (CST)
utc_offset = -6
timezone_DST = CDT
utc_offset_DST = -5
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 266
elevation_ft = 873
latd = 40 |latm = 45 |lats = 4 |latNS = N
longd = 92 |longm = 25 |longs = 1 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP codes
postal_code = 52537-52538
area_code = 641
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 19-07030
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0454700
website =
footnotes =

Bloomfield is a city in Davis County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,601 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Davis County.GR|6

Annual events

The Davis County Fair is held in July every year at the fairgrounds, west of Bloomfield.

The week-long Davis County Country & Old Time Music Festival is held every September at the fairgrounds.

Geography

Bloomfield is located at coor dms|40|44|53|N|92|25|06|W|GR|1, in the southeastern part of the state near the Missouri border.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.3 square miles (6.0 km²), of which, 2.3 square miles (5.9 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (1.30%) is water.

Transportation

Bloomfield lies at the junction of U.S. Route 63 and Iowa Highway 2.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 2,601 people, 1,123 households, and 668 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,145.0 people per square mile (442.4/km²). There were 1,228 housing units at an average density of 540.6/sq mi (208.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.54% White, 0.12% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.15% from other races, and 0.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.38% of the population.

There were 1,123 households out of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.9% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.5% were non-families. 36.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.84.

In the city the population was spread out with 20.8% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 26.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 82.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,471, and the median income for a family was $44,073. Males had a median income of $25,260 versus $23,686 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,962. About 3.9% of families and 8.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.3% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.

Davis County Courthouse

The Davis County Courthouse was designed by Thomas J. Tolan & Son, Architects, of Fort Wayne Indiana and is situated on the Bloomfield townsquare. In November 1876, the center of the square was cleared of trees and the following June, Larkworthy & Menke, of Quincy, Illinois, was awarded the contract to supply stone. The bell was made by the Kimberly Bell Works of Troy, New York. The clock was made by the Seth Thomas Company and still resides within the clock tower. The building was completed in 1879. A chain surrounding the courthouse was added in 1879 and an iron fence, by the Cleveland Wrought Iron Fence Company, was added in 1881.

On August 27, 1924, Henry "Dare-Devil" Roland, "The Human Fly," attempted to climb the northwest corner of the courthouse. He fell to the ground from about 25 feet, breaking his hip and dislocating the other. He was hospitalized in Bloomfield for six weeks, before returning back east with his wife and daughter. On June 28, 1932, Roland made a return trip to Bloomfield to remove the blot from his record of successful climbs. This time, in just eleven minutes, he was sitting perched astride the statue of Blind Justice. Roland died October 7, 1937, as a result of a trapeze fall at Ottway, Tennessee.

The Davis County Court House was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 30, 1974. The courthouse was photographed by Bob Thall as part of the Bicentennial project commissioned by Joseph E. Seagram & Sons, Inc. to document more than 1,100 American courthouses. One of the results of this project was the 1978 book "Court House," edited by Richard Pare. Thall's photo was part of the project's traveling exhibition and also appeared in "The New York Times Book Review," "American Heritage" and "Newsweek" magazines.

The Davis County Courthouse Preservation Fund was incorporated in November 2005.

The Bloomfield Square Historic District, which surrounds the courthouse, was added to the National Register's listings in 1976.

Notable Natives and Former Residents

* Curt Bader- member of the 1988 and 1996 Olympic Kayak teams
* Clem Beauchamp- early motion picture actor, assistant director, production manger; Academy Award winner
* Smith Wildman Brookhart- U.S. Senator
* Cyrus Bussey- Civil War Major General (Breveted); Assistant Secretary of the Interior
* Beryl F. Carroll- governor of Iowa
* George W. Clarke- governor of Iowa
* Samuel O. Dunn- journalist; transportation specialist
* Casey Foutz- keyboard player for 1970s band Crabby Appleton
* Jim Harris- founder of Prairie Lights bookstore
* Loyal D. Hotchkiss- former editor-in-chief, "The Los Angeles Times"
* John A. Hull- Major General; Judge Advocate General of the Army (1924-1928); Associate Justice Supreme Court of the Philippines (1934-1936)
* John A.T. Hull- editor "Davis County Republican"; Iowa Secretary of State, Lt. Governor of Iowa, U.S. Representative
* Augustin Reed Humphrey- U.S. Representative from Nebraska
* John Kyl- U.S. Representative
* Jon Kyl- U.S. Senator from Arizona
* Fred E. Miller- renowned 19th century Western photographer. Documented life on the Crow Reservation in southern Montana
* Irvin S. Pepper- U.S. Representative
* Adelaide A. Pollard- wrote the hymn "Have Thin Own Way, Lord"
* Bertha Eaton Raffetto- composer of "Home Means Nevada," the state song of Nevada
* C. William Ramseyer- U.S. Representative
* Johnny Rawlings- major league baseball player (1914-1926); later coach for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
* Kevin Ritz- former major league pitcher, Detroit Tigers and Denver Rockies
* Walter A. Sheaffer- founder of the Sheaffer Pen Company
* Erastus J. Turner- U.S. Representative from Kansas
* William C. Van Benthuysen- former managing editor of the "Chicago Tribune" and editorial manager for the "New York World"
* James Weaver- U.S. Representative; twice third-party presidential candidate, 1880 Greenback Party and 1892 Populist Party

References

External links

* [http://www.bloomfieldmainstreet.com/ Bloomfield Main Street]
* [http://www.cityofbloomfield.org/ Official City Website]