This week in West Branch
About West Branch
West Branch grew out of a Quaker settlement of families from Ohio, who named it for their meeting and for the west branch of Wapsinonoc Creek; Joseph Steer platted the town in 1869 and it became a city in 1875. Before the Civil War, farms and inns around it sheltered freedom seekers on the Underground Railroad, and John Brown stayed at James Townsend's Traveler's Rest in the winter of 1856. The railroad brought a building boom, and around 1900 ornate brick blocks such as the Opera Block, with its 500-seat upstairs theater, replaced the wooden storefronts on Main Street. Herbert Hoover was born here in 1874 in a two-room cottage his blacksmith father built, and today that cottage, the schoolhouse, the Quaker meetinghouse, a working blacksmith shop, a tallgrass prairie and his presidential library make up a national historic site a short walk from downtown. About 2,500 people live here now, and they still gather on Main Street for Fall Fest, Trick or Treat on Main and A Christmas Past.
Along Main St
- West Branch Emporium · 102 E Main St
- White Pumpkin · 102 E Main St
- Touched By Power Massage · 104 E Main St
- Reid's Beans · 106 E Main St
- The Honey Den · 106 E Main St
- West Branch Heritage Museum · 109 E Main St
- Roots Salon & Spa · 109 E Main St
- Branch Out Nutrition · 111 E Main St
- Jack & Jills · 115 E Main St
- Jack and Jills · 115 E Main St
- Town Hall West Branch · 201 E Main St
- West Branch Parks and Recreation · 201 E Main St
- Guys and Gals Hairstyles · 205 E Main St
- The Serving Cafe · 209 E Main St
- Parkside Service · 219 E Main St
- Casey's General Store · 311 E Main St
- 223 Vintage Co · 314 E Main St
- Massage on Main · 323 E Main St
- Barnhart's Custom Services · 412 E Main St
- West Branch Repairs · 412 E Main St
- Fulwider Agency Inc · 101 W Main St
- Sustainable Iowa Land Trust · 101 W Main St
- The Down Under · 102 W Main St
- John H. Dick Guitars · 105 W Main St
- Marg's Little Red House Antiques & Uniques · 107 W Main St
- A Beautiful Purpose · 108 W Main St
- Main Street Antiques and Art · 110 W Main St
- Cotton Creek Mill · 113 W Main St
- Brick Arch Winery · 116 W Main St
- Us Bank Mortgage · 116 W Main St