Janesville, Iowa
| Janesville, Iowa | |
|---|---|
| City | |
Downtown Janesville
|
|
| Nickname(s): Oldest City in Bremer County | |
 Location of Janesville, Iowa |
|
| Coordinates: 42°38′46″N 92°27′46″W / 42.64611°N 92.46278°WCoordinates: 42°38′46″N 92°27′46″W / 42.64611°N 92.46278°W | |
| Country |
 United States
|
| State |
 Iowa
|
| Counties | Bremer, Black Hawk |
| Government | |
| • Type | City Council |
| • Mayor | James McKay |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.49 sq mi (3.86 km2) |
| • Land | 1.44 sq mi (3.73 km2) |
| • Water | 0.05 sq mi (0.13 km2) |
| Elevation | 906 ft (276 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 930 |
| • Estimate (2012) | 935 |
| • Density | 645.8/sq mi (249.3/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 50647 |
| Area code(s) | 319 |
| FIPS code | 19-39405 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0457912 |
Janesville is a city in Black Hawk and Bremer counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 930 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Waterloo–Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Janesville was founded in 1849 by John T. Barrick, a Quaker and abolitionist who had relocated to Iowa from Ohio. According to the book, "The Janesvillians, Volumes I and II" by Maxine Leonard, John T. Barrick built the first mill and frame house in the area. He platted the town of Janesville, which he named in honor of his wife, Jane McPherson Barrick.
It has been established that a tunnel once existed under the business district of Janesville. The tunnel ran between basements and below buildings on both sides of Janesville's Main Street, crossing below the street in the center of town and continuing westward to the Cedar River. One branch of the tunnel continued northward, connecting to the site of Fort John, a shelter built to protect settlers during the Ho-Chunk uprising in June, 1854. The tunnel terminated in the basement of the home of Abel Crail, who later served in Union Army in the American Civil War, and was the first Commander of Janesville Post No. 172, Grand Army of the Republic. According to local legend, the Barricks and other townsfolk sympathetic to their cause aided in the escape of runaway slaves as part of the Underground Railroad. Slaves were moved through Janesville from Grinnell, Iowa and continued to Decorah, Iowa and into Southeastern Minnesota. The tunnel has since been filled in and no longer exists.
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