Cerro Gordo County, Iowa
Historic newspapers, landmarks, and county history layers for genealogists and local historians.
At a glance
SummaryThe National Register of Historic Places includes 49 listed properties in the county, first listed in 1972; 1 is also National Historic Landmark. Most listings are in or near Mason City, Clear Lake, Rock Falls.
Summary generated automatically from the source data on this page.
Newspapers
Library of CongressNewspaper directory data for Iowa is not yet loaded on this site. Browse Cerro Gordo titles at the Library of Congress.
National Register of Historic Places
NPS NRHP35 of 49 listings mapped; some locations are restricted by NPS to protect sensitive sites.
49 listed properties
| Property | City | Listed |
|---|---|---|
| Andrus, A. J., Duplex | Mason City | 1980 |
| Cannon, Amaziah and Cornelia (Wait), House | Mason City | 2004 |
| City National Bank Building | Mason City | 1972 |
| Clear Lake Lake Wall | Clear Lake | 2023 |
| East Park Band Shell | Mason City | 2009 |
| East Park Historic District | Mason City | 2014 |
| Egloff, William C. & Margaret, House | Mason City | 2017 |
| Elks-Rogers Hotel | Clear Lake | 1982 |
| Elmwood-St. Joseph Municipal Cemetery Historic District | Mason City | 2018 |
| Etzel, John L., House | Clear Lake | 1983 |
| First Church of Christ Scientist | Mason City | 1997 |
| First National Bank of Mason City | Mason City | 1997 |
| Forest Park Historic District | Mason City | 2015 |
| Franke, C. F., House | Mason City | 1980 |
| Gibson, E. R., House | Mason City | 1980 |
| Hotel Lester-Lester Cafe | Mason City | 2002 |
| Jewell Apartments | Mason City | 1980 |
| Keerl-Decker House | Mason City | 2002 |
| Kirk, The | Mason City | 1982 |
| Lippert House | Mason City | 1980 |
| MBA (Modern Brotherhood of America) Building | Mason City | 2002 |
| Mason City Downtown Historic District | Mason City | 2005 |
| Mason City Engine House No. 2 | Mason City | 2022 |
| Mason City Public Library | Mason City | 1989 |
| Mason City YMCA | Mason City | 2002 |
| Norris, F. M., House | Mason City | 1980 |
| Park Inn Hotel | Mason City | 1972 |
| Parker's Opera House | Mason City | 1998 |
| Parker's Woods Park Historic District | Mason City | 2014 |
| Rock Crest-Rock Glen Historic District | Mason City | 1979 |
| Rock Crest-Rock Glen Historic District (Boundary Decrease) | Mason City | 2016 |
| Rock Falls Bridge | Rock Falls | 1998 |
| Rogers-Knutson House | Clear Lake | 1982 |
| Romey, George, House | Mason City | 1980 |
| Rule, Duncan, House | Mason City | 1979 |
| Rye, Chris, House | Mason City | 1980 |
| Seney, Charles, House | Mason City | 1980 |
| Shipley, C. P., House | Mason City | 1980 |
| St. John Baptist Church | Mason City | 2002 |
| State Street Bridge | Mason City | 1998 |
| Stewart Avenue Bridge | Mason City | 1998 |
| Stockman, Dr. G. C., House | Mason City | 1992 |
| Surf Ballroom | Clear Lake | 2011 |
| Surf Ballroom NHL | Clear Lake | |
| Wagner-Mozart Music Hall | Mason City | 1978 |
| Winnebago River Bridge | Mason City | 1998 |
| Wolf, Mier, House | Mason City | 1980 |
| Yelland, Curtis, House | Mason City | 1980 |
| Youngblood, Tessa, House | Mason City | 1980 |
Source: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Property links open NRHP nomination files at the National Archives.
County formation
Newberry AHCBCerro Gordo was formed in 1851 (1851-01-15) from unknown / original county.
CERRO GORDO created from Non-County Area 6 attached to DELAWARE and Non-County Area 9 attached to POLK.
Source: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
Population by decade
CensusCerro Gordo County population from 1860 to 2020 (Census historical series).
| 1860 | 1880 | 1900 | 1920 | 1940 | 1950 | 1960 | 1980 | 2000 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 940 | 11,461 | 20,672 | 34,675 | 43,845 | 46,053 | 49,894 | 48,458 | 46,447 | 43,127 |
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau historical county population (Forstall 1790–1990) and public-domain / CC0 county population series through 2020.
Cemeteries & historical places
USGS GNIS20 cemeteries and 0 historical populated places (ghost towns / former settlements) recorded in USGS GNIS for this county.
Cemeteries — 20 of 20 listed
| Name |
|---|
| Bohemian Cemetery |
| Clear Lake Cemetery |
| Clear Lake Township Cemetery |
| Elmwood - Saint Joseph Cemetery |
| Forest Lawn Memorial Garden (historical) |
| Grant Cemetery |
| Independent Order of Odd Fellows Cemetery |
| Lincoln Cemetery |
| Memorial Park Cemetery |
| Mount Vernon Cemetery |
| Oakwood Cemetery |
| Owens Grove Cemetery |
| Pleasant Valley Township Cemetery |
| Pleasant View Cemetery |
| Richland Lutheran Cemetery |
| Rock Falls Cemetery |
| Rockwell Cemetery |
| Sacred Heart Cemetery |
| Saint Josephs Cemetery |
| Saint Patricks Catholic Cemetery |
Source: USGS Geographic Names Information System (public domain). Cemeteries from the 2021 NationalFile archive; historical places from GNIS HistoricalFeatures topical extract.
Historical markers
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Search HMdb for Cerro Gordo County, Iowa
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