Old Capitol, Iowa City, Iowa
Posted by: 
hykesj
N 41° 39.680 W 091° 32.250
15T E 621762 N 4613208
This building, which served as the capitol of the old Iowa Territory as well as Iowa’s first state capitol, is now a part of the University of Iowa.
Waymark Code: WMZMYC
Location: Iowa, United States
Date Posted: 12/04/2018
Views: 8
The map of the United States was constantly changing in the nineteenth century. Large chunks of land were being acquired either by purchase or as the result of treaty negotiation. This land usually started out as unorganized and largely unexplored territory. But as settlers began to immigrate to these areas, the need for civil administration became apparent especially in law and order since some folks were literally getting away with murder. The usual progression was that a portion of the area would be declared a district of an existing territory, then it would be established as an organized territory on its own and eventually a segment would be admitted as a new state. The remainder of the land would sometimes revert to unorganized territory and the cycle would start over again.
In 1838, the district of Iowa (at that time, a part of Wisconsin Territory) became established as the Territory of Iowa. Its capital was Burlington but that was soon moved to Iowa City where a handsome new capitol was being built. The stamp, issued in 1938, celebrated the 100th anniversary of the establishment of this Iowa Territory. It shows the capitol at Iowa City which was completed in 1841. The southern part of Iowa Territory became the State of Iowa in 1846. What was left of the territory became unorganized for a while before being established as Minnesota Territory in 1849.
The seat of government remained in Iowa City after Iowa became a state and the legislature continued to convene in the capitol building depicted on the stamp. But in 1857, it was decided to move the capital to the more centrally located city of Des Moines. After the move, the old capitol received new life with the University of Iowa and for many years housed the entire school.
Today, the old capitol is still a part of the University of Iowa and contains a museum with changing exhibits on the building, the university and the state of Iowa. It’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been named a National Historic Landmark. The stamp shows the west side of the building although the east side is nearly identical.
Stamp Issuing Country: United States
Date of Issue: 24-Aug-1938
Denomination: 3c
Color: violet
Stamp Type: Single Stamp
Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]
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