Dudley History

In 1846 Jeremiah Church laid out the town of Dudley on the banks of the Des Moines River in Polk County, Iowa just 2 miles N.E. of Carlisle’s present site. Dudley was a popular steamboat landing on the Des Moines River.

By 1850 this thriving community consisted of several houses, two stores, a grocery, two doctors, a shoemaker and a blacksmith.


In 1851 a devastating flood overflowed the area, completely destroying the town. It has been said that “Uncle” Jerry Church, a well known fiddle player, sat on the roof of his house and played “The Arkansas Traveler” while the flood washed Dudley away. The townsfolk moved to higher ground in Warren County and re-named their village Carlisle.

Dudley no longer exists except in the history of present-day Carlisle


Photo of the present site showing the North River in the center entering the
Des Moines River.