Mount Pleasant, IA
| Mount Pleasant, Iowa | |
|---|---|
| City | |
Mount Pleasant, Iowa
|
|
| Motto(s): Pursuing excellence | |
 Location of Mount Pleasant, Iowa |
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| Coordinates: 40°58′1″N 91°33′4″W / 40.96694°N 91.55111°WCoordinates: 40°58′1″N 91°33′4″W / 40.96694°N 91.55111°W | |
| Country |
 United States
|
| State |
 Iowa
|
| County | Henry |
| Incorporated | July 15, 1856 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Jeff Knupp |
| Area | |
| • Total | 8.53 sq mi (22.09 km2) |
| • Land | 8.51 sq mi (22.04 km2) |
| • Water | 0.02 sq mi (0.05 km2) |
| Elevation | 715 ft (218 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 8,668 |
| • Estimate (2016) | 8,392 |
| • Density | 1,019/sq mi (393.3/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 52641 |
| Area code(s) | 319 |
| FIPS code | 19-54705 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0459328 |
| Website | City of Mount Pleasant |
Mount Pleasant is a city in and the county seat of Henry County, Iowa, in the United States. The population was 8,668 in the 2010 census, a decline from 8,751 in the 2000 census. It was founded in 1835 by pioneer Presley Saunders.
Mount Pleasant was first incorporated as a town by European Americans in 1842, and again in 1851.
In 1869, Mount Pleasant was the site of a solar eclipse expedition, under the command of James Craig Watson and sponsored by National Almanac. The total solar eclipse occurred on August 7, 1869.
In the Union Block building in 1869, Arabella A. Mansfield became the first woman in the United States to be awarded a license to practice law. She had passed the bar exam with high scores and won a court case for entry to the bar. The legislature changed its statute.
The third floor of the Union Block housed the Opera House or Union Hall, a gathering place for the community. It attracted national speakers on tour, including abolitionists Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, and Anna Dickinson. James Harlan also spoke there, as he was president of Iowa Wesleyan College in the town, and later was elected several times to the United States Senate. This building had been considered one of the most endangered historic sites in Iowa.
The Mount Pleasant Mental Health Institute was built in 1861. However, in 1936, a fire did great damage to the building. The hospital had to be closed, as little of the facility survived the fire.
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Wikipedia