Primrose, Iowa

{{Infobox settlement

|official_name = Primrose, Iowa

|settlement_type = Unincorporated community

|motto =

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|pushpin_map=Iowa#USA

|pushpin_label=Primrose

|subdivision_type = Country

|subdivision_name = United States

|subdivision_type1 = State

|subdivision_name1 = Iowa

|subdivision_type2 = County

|subdivision_name2 = Lee

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|unit_pref = Imperial

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|timezone = Central (CST)

|utc_offset = -6

|timezone_DST = CDT

|utc_offset_DST = -5

|elevation_footnotes =

|elevation_ft = 712

|coordinates = {{coord|40|40|31|N|91|38|17|W|region:US-IA|display=inline,title}}

|postal_code_type = ZIP code

|postal_code = 52625

|area_code = 319

|blank_name = GNIS feature ID

|blank_info = 460452{{GNIS|460452}}

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Primrose is an unincorporated community in Lee County, Iowa, United States.{{cite web |title=Primrose Populated Place Profile / Lee County, Iowa Data |url=https://iowa.hometownlocator.com/ia/lee/primrose.cfm |website=Iowa Gazetteer |access-date=September 5, 2024}}

Location

Primrose is located in Harrison Township, near the junction of Primrose Road and 150th Avenue, about {{convert|4.5|miles|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} northwest of Donnellson.

History

Primrose was laid out by George W. Perkins and James H. Washburn in 1844. It was named Primrose by Minerva McCulloch, an early resident, after the wild roses that grew in the area. A post office was established in Primrose in 1845, with Exum McCulloch serving as the first postmaster.{{cite web |title=Lee County IAGenWeb - Abandoned Village - Primrose |url=https://iagenweb.org/lee/biography-history/twp/primrose.htm |website=The IAGenWeb Project |access-date=September 5, 2024}}

Primrose had become well established by 1850. Most settlers of the town were German immigrants from Bavaria and Lower Saxony; sermons at the church were given in German until World War I. A two-story school was built in Primrose in 1850, which served 130 students at its peak. By 1868, Primrose contained blacksmith shops, coopers, doctors' offices, a mill, and several hotels and general stores.

Primrose's population was recorded at 178 in 1878, which had decreased to 150 in 1914. The post office closed in 1953. Today Primrose consists only of a few houses.{{cite web |title=Lee County IAGenWeb - 1914 County History - Towns and Villages |url=https://iagenweb.org/lee/biography-history/history/1914Vol1/1914-towns-villages.htm |website=The IAGenWeb Project |access-date=September 5, 2024}}

Notable person

Richard Proenneke (1916–2003), naturalist, conservationist, and writer{{cite web |last1=Brinkhof |first1=Tim |title=Meet The Man Who Lived Alone In A Cabin In The Alaskan Wilderness — For 30 Years |url=https://allthatsinteresting.com/dick-proenneke |website=All That's Interesting |access-date=September 5, 2024 |date=10 March 2024}}

References

Category:Unincorporated communities in Iowa

Category:Unincorporated communities in Lee County, Iowa

Category:1844 establishments in Iowa Territory

Category:Populated places established in 1844