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We're entering the Main Street of
Luxemburg, IA, from the west. The town is located in Liberty Township, Dubuque County, in
the northeastern part of the state, just a few miles north of New Vienna and Dyersville,
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| Welcome to Luxemburg, Iowa! |
Originally, this area was inhabited by
members of the Sac and Fox Indians. In 1832, Chief Black Hawk surrendered to the
U.S. forces, and a treaty of peace was made. It called for the purchase of Indian
land by the U.S. Government. Shortly thereafter, European immigrant settlers began
to arrive. Liberty Township was first settled between 1838-1851 by English, Irish,
Luxembourg, and German immigrants. |
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Some of the early Luxembourg settlers in
the town included these family names: Henkels, Heiderscheit, Marnach, Wagner, Kahl, Ungs,
Gaul, Simmerl, Duster, Lucas, Link, and Colbert. By the mid-1850s, about 60 families
requested a Catholic church, and the first frame structure was built in 1861 and dedicated
in 1865. The second church (at left) was built in the early 1870s. Here is a
view of Holy Trinity Church in Luxemburg, Iowa, as seen from Main Street. The first
school opened in the mid-1850s; its earliest teachers were Anton Pfeffer, then Peter
Simmerl. In 1878, the Franciscan Sisters of LaCrosse, WI, began teaching in the
school. |
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This statue of St. Isidore, patron saint of
farmers, stands in front of Holy Trinity Church in Luxemburg, Iowa. The
Centennial Observance of Holy Trinity Parish notes that the parish history is the
story of a "group of sturdy farmers" who "decided they wanted a church and
a Catholic School. They organized the parish, collected money, and put up a church.
The actual building of the church was the work of their own hands. The clumsy
script of their names on the church pledges shows they were hard-working men with
calloused hands" (20). The parish remains a rural one today. |
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The first businesses in Luxemburg included
Shroeder's General Store (now Ungs General Story), Goebel's Blacksmith Shop, the U.S. Post
Office, the Luxemburg Bank, the Ungs Creamery, and carpentry and stone masonry businesses.
Today, the U.S., Luxembourg, and Iowa flags fly proudly over the new City
Hall of Luxemburg. |
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This memorial sculpture, which stands in
front of City Hall, was donated by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg to Luxemburg, Iowa,
in commemoration of the U.S. soldiers who helped liberate Luxembourg during World War II.
Similar memorials were given to the towns of Luxemburg, MN, and Luxemburg, WI.
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