Dozen Distinctive Destinations
Bonaparte, IA
Year Listed: 2001
The tiny village of Bonaparte, Iowa, (population 465) is in the southeast corner of the state, close to the Missouri border on the banks of the Des Moines River. The town has triumphed over retail flight, downtown decay, and devastating floods to rebuild its historic center into a thriving, livable community. Bonaparte owes its beginnings to its location along the Des Moines River, where the Meeks Mills were founded in 1837, drawing businesses and residents to the area. For several decades, the town grew as a masonry lock and dam were built to enable navigation on the river, and railroad construction connected Iowa's small towns. But following floods, fire, and a lack of industry, residents and businesses alike fled Bonaparte until the 1980s when the community dedicated itself to restoring its downtown businesses and preserving the town's history. Today, Bonaparte's commercial district includes 37 historic buildings, including several significant structures dating from the 1800s that have been restored as a restaurant, antique and crafts shops, a factory, tavern, and the Bonaparte Library and Museum. The streets feature period streetlights. The restored Bonaparte Pottery, believed to be the only remaining early pottery works in Iowa, is intact with the kiln, brick kiln, and pug mill that produced thousands of pieces of pottery between 1865 and 1895. The pottery was designated an archaeological district in the National Register of Historic Places. A pottery tour is one of the town's special events, along with a monthly breakfast on Main Street, a historic cemetery tour, craft shows, garden tour, Renaissance Festival, and Christmas caroling. Bonaparte's Riverfront District is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and offers visitors a butterfly garden, refurbished band shell, historic lock walls, and two restored mills. Bonaparte is also on the south branch of the Hiawatha Pioneer Trail, a historic highway route. Bonaparte is the country's smallest Main Street community. The National Trust for Historic Preservation honored Bonaparte with one of its five 1996 Great American Main Street Awards in recognition of its efforts to revitalize through historic preservation.
