Rockville, Iowa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rockville, Iowa
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 Rockville, Iowa
Location in Iowa
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Iowa |
| Counties | Delaware |
| Elevation | 925 ft (282 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
52078
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| Area code(s) | 563 |
| FIPS code | 19-68220 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0464725 |
Rockville was once a small town in Delaware County, Iowa, United States. It was located close to Dubuque County. Today, Rockville is no longer a city. It is now a rural area with farms and woodlands.
Contents
History of Rockville
How Rockville Began
Rockville was started in 1845 by a person named Oliver A. Olmstead. It was one of the very first towns in Delaware County. Only Delhi was older. Rockville was a busy place for trading goods. It had important businesses like a sawmill and a gristmill. There was also a blacksmith shop, a hotel, and different stores.
A log schoolhouse was built in 1843, even before Rockville officially began. This school burned down ten years later. It was then rebuilt using bricks.
A Busy Travel Stop
During this time, Rockville was an important stop for stagecoaches. These were like old-fashioned buses pulled by horses. Travelers heading west of the Mississippi River would stop here.
The Rockville post office opened on June 15, 1846. Oliver A. Olmstead was the first postmaster. A hotel was also opened for people traveling with the Western Stage Company. Rockville was so popular that Charles W. Hobbs, an early settler from Delhi, moved there in 1850. He opened a store that was very successful.
Why Rockville Changed
Rockville's good times did not last. Nearby towns started to grow bigger. The biggest change happened when the Dubuque and Pacific Railroad Company built train tracks. These tracks went through a new town called Dyersville.
Because of the railroad, people started using trains more than stagecoaches. Rockville's role as a travel stop became less important. The town's post office closed for the last time on May 31, 1898. As Delhi and Dyersville grew, Rockville became much smaller. By 1915, only one person lived there.
Rockville Today
Today, the area where Rockville once stood is a rural farming community. It is on the edge of Worthington. You can still see parts of its history. The Rockville Cemetery has graves of soldiers from the Civil War and the Mexican War. You can also find the remains of an old gristmill near the North Fork of the Maquoketa River. The area is hilly with gravel roads. It is mostly farms and woodland.
Geography of Rockville
Rockville is located at 42°25′7″N 91°8′32″W / 42.41861°N 91.14222°W. This means it is at 42.4186086 degrees North and 91.1420837 degrees West. The land there is about 925 feet (282 meters) above sea level.
