From Depot to Drugstor Williamsburg’s Living Histo
For some in Eastern Iowa, Williamsburg is better known for the outlet mall just off I-80 than the place itself a few miles down the road. But take some time to explore this charming town of 3,350 and you’ll find a place where history lives – and community thrives. It starts with Williamsburg’s town square, a green space crossed by walking paths and surrounded by storefronts old and new. Families meander along the sidewalks and paths connecting the gift and hobby shops, restaurants, banks, and the bustling local coffee spot, which shares a wall with the former Peterson Drug Company and the upstairs hospital/dentist’s office/maternity ward. It’s here and in the storefronts next door that the Williamsburg Historical Society (WHS) has set up shop. Part museum, part archive, and part genealogy office, the Society is committed to helping anyone who comes looking for information. “We started this work to prepare for the Sesquicentennial (150th anniversary) of Williamsburg in 2007, and it really evolved from there,” said Mary Miller, Vice President of the WHS. The WHS’s museum hosts a variety of unique memorabilia, most of it local to the area. School outfits, historical artifacts, military uniforms and materials dating back to the Civil War, and even a collection of Iowa County Indian arrows are among the items you’ll find.
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