Springdale is a small

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either hav ...

Cedar County Cedar County may refer to: * Cedar County, Iowa * Cedar County, Missouri * Cedar County, Nebraska * Cedar County, Choctaw Nation * Cedar County, Washington, a proposed county made up of part of King County * Cedar County, Utah Territory, a f ...

Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

, United States. Historically, the town was predominantly settled by

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...

, and was one of Iowa's most important stations on the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. ...

. Starting in 1857, Springdale was the western base of operations for the militant abolitionist John Brown, who lived in

John Hunt Painter John Hunt Painter (September 3, 1819 – April 9, 1891) was a Quakers, Quaker farmer living near Springdale, Iowa, who sent the firearms to abolitionist John Brown (abolitionist), John Brown that were used during Brown's historic John Brown's raid ...

's house while training the 10 men who came with him in preparation for his raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia. The 10 were his son Owen Brown,

John Kagi John Henry Kagi, also spelled John Henri Kagi (March 15, 1835 – October 17, 1859), was an American attorney, abolitionist, and second in command to John Brown in Brown's failed raid on Harper's Ferry. He bore the title of "Secretary of War" ...

Aaron D. Stevens Aaron Dwight Stevens (sometimes misspelled Stephens) (March 15, 1831 – March 16, 1860) was an American abolitionist. The only one of John Brown's raiders with military experience, he was the chief military aide to Brown during his fail ...

John E. Cook John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

, Richard Realf, Charles W. Moffitt, Luke J. Parsons, Charles H. Tidd, William Leeman, and Richard Richardson. In 1858 they departed east. In February 1859 Brown appeared with 12 enslaved men and women from Missouri. In July, 1859, two local boys, Edwin and

Barclay Coppoc Barclay Coppock (January 4, 1839 – September 4, 1861), also spelled "Coppac", "Coppic", and "Coppoc", was a follower of John Brown and a Union Army soldier in the American Civil War. Along with his brother Edwin Coppock (June 30, 1835 &nda ...

, joined Brown in his raid. The first was captured, tried, and executed; Barclay escaped and died later serving in the Union army. Springdale was also the home of Lawrie Tatum, a farmer who served as a frontier Indian agent and the legal guardian of future President

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, holding o ...

. The main street through the town is the Herbert Hoover Highway. No downtown business district remains in Springdale; it is a cluster of houses with a

United Methodist The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelical ...

church. William Maxson's home, where Brown's men were quartered, was razed in 1938, but its location is marked by a plaque provided by the

Daughters of the American Revolution The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a person involved in the United States' efforts towards independence. A non-profit group, they promot ...

. Although often described as Quaker, Maxson was raised in the faith but at the time of Brown's visit considered himself a follower of

spiritualism Spiritualism is the metaphysical school of thought opposing physicalism and also is the category of all spiritual beliefs/views (in monism and dualism) from ancient to modern. In the long nineteenth century, Spiritualism (when not lowercase) ...

Historic residents

File:John Brown portrait, 1859.jpg, John Brown File:Barclay Coppock.jpg,

File:edwin coppock.jpg, Edwin Coppoc File:Lawrie Tatum.jpg, Lawrie Tatum

References

External links

* {{authority control Unincorporated communities in Iowa Unincorporated communities in Cedar County, Iowa Populated places on the Underground Railroad Underground Railroad in Iowa John Brown sites

Historic residents

References

Further reading

External links