History of Palmyra

In 1847, the town of Palmyra was settled on a trail of the Fox and Sauk tribes. Settlers crossed the Des Moines River where the town of Ford was. They came up the ridge, moving to their new homes in the western wilds of Iowa. John D. Parmelee was the first settler to own land in Palmyra township. He ran a saw mill on Middle River. John T. Moorman and John Farley laid out the town, named after the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria. The name means “fertile oasis of palm trees.” Other early settlers were William Mason, Elias Myrick, Henry James, Obadiah Highby, Uriah Dotson and William Freel. According to history, a house in Palmyra was on the main line of the Underground Railroad. The line went through Tabor, Creston, Winterset, Indianola, Palmyra and Hartford. It crossed the Des Moines River at Ford, then passed through central and eastern Iowa to the Mississippi River at Clinton. It is believed that John Brown followed the Underground Railroad through Warren County at least twice. No railroad ever passed through Palmyra or Palmyra Township. This eventually led to the dying out of a once prosperous and thriving town.

From HISTORY OF PALMYRA by Landen Schooler, 1973.

Keeney Wedding
This picture was sent to us by Jim Clark. It is dated December 24, 1892. He believes it was on the wedding day of E. F. Keeney and Eva May (Clark) Keeney. Left to right: Hibert Cottrell Clark, Eliza Jane (Shepherd) Clark, Eva May (Clark) Keeney, Eugene Francis Keeney, Laura Jane Clark, Eldora “Dora” May (Deaton) Clark, Edward Clark, Fountain Ellis Clark holding a shotgun. It appears the group had a good sense of humor. Jim wrote: “I believe the house was the Hibert Clark house located west of Watts Hill Bridge, on the south side of Middle River.” Jim’s father was Dorris D. Clark, born north of Palmyra on Butcher Creek. His grandparents were Dora and Edward, and his great-grandparents were Hibert and Eliza Jane. The photograph was found among the possessions of his aunt Pearl (Clark) Blake.

Read the stories by clicking on the clickable areas of the sentences below.

Dorris Clark - posted February 12th, 2009
Historic Painting, From Lloyd Eric Miller.
Dr. J. D. Blake, Palmyra - posted May 29th, 2008