Whittemore, Iowa
Whittemore is located in the western part of Kossuth County. The town was established in 1878 and is named for a Milwaukee Railroad engineer, Don Whittemore. The motto of the town is “Whittemore Cares More and Shares More”. The town features a municipal swimming pool, Noah’s Park, a community center, a 20’ x 40’ Betsy Ross style flag mural at the community center, a public library, and the county-owned “Siems Park” south of town.
There are a variety of annual events held in Whittemore. A two-day town celebration in June includes carnival rides and games, a bingo stand, and the American Legion’s “World Famous” grilled hamburgers. Other annual events include a community-sponsored Santa Claus Day, a Chili Cook Off, an Easter Egg Hunt, Halloween trick-or-treating, a fireman’s feather party, and the American Legion’s chicken barbecue and sweet corn feed featuring “Bossie Bingo”. Whittemore is home to the Kossuth County Freedom Rock, located on the west side of the American Legion Hall at 601 Broad Street.
Highlights
Visit Steier’s Roadside Village and Elmer’s Airport & Historic Plane Museum to see authentic military memorabilia and area treasures. For more information, contact (515) 884- 2619. Schmitt Hardware, a modern-day business, affords persons entering the store the charm and atmosphere of a turn-of-the-century hardware store of 100 years past. For more information, contact (515) 884-2555. Whittemore has numerous parks of note, including Siems Park for camping, fishing, and the thrill of the great outdoors, and Noah’s Park which is home to a beautifully maintained tribute to area soldiers and service men and women world-wide known as Veterans Memorial. In the fall of 2001, in remembrance of 9-11 and to show our true patriotic pride, members of the community painted a 20 x 60 Betsy Ross style flag on the south side of the Whittemore Community Center, which is located in Noah’s Park. It is a one-of-kind– display of an early flag in American history. Also, visit the restored Craig and Deb Gade Barn listed as a stop on the Iowa Barn Foundation Tour. For more information on Whittemore, contact (515) 884-2265 or www.WhittemoreIowa.com. Don’t forget your camera when visiting the country-side in and around Whittemore, Iowa!
Works Cited
Much of the historical information was taken from Kossuth County history booklet. The information was compiled by Richard Schiek as part of the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the establishment of Kossuth County and the “Kossuth on State” project, dedicated on July 13, 2001. There is a complete bibliography in the back of the Kossuth County History booklet.
Welcome to Whittemore. Brochure done by the City of Whittemore. Published in 2000.