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 Portsmouth,
Iowa
Established in 1882 * population 209
"The Biggest Little Town in the
USA"
 Location
In Shelby County, Iowa, located at the intersection of Hwys 191 and 44 in the heart of southwest Iowa's picturesque
countryside.
Utility & Telecommunication providers
Water: Shelby County Rural Water.
Gas: MidAmerican Energy Co.
Electricity: MidAmerican Energy Co.
Phone Service: Iowa Telecom offers paging, voice mail, calling cards along with 100% digitally switched calling is provided. They also offers free custom calling features such as call forwarding, call waiting, speed dialing,
three-way calling and equal access for all long distance calling.
Internet Service: Farmers Mutual provides 56kbs & DSL from 128 kps to 8 mbs.
Cable Service: none.
Cellular Service: Cellular One, Verizon & FMCTC wireless.
Municipal Services
Council/Mayor government
Comprehensive city plan: yes
City Zoning ordinance in effect: yes
County Zoning ordinance in effect: yes
Subdivision ordinance with design standards in effect: no
Number of volunteer fire department personnel: 30
Fire insurance class in city: 8
Fire insurance class outside city: 9
Police Protection: Shelby County Sheriff's Department
Industrial waste pickup service: yes
Percentage of city streets hard surfaced: 100%
Schools
Youth attend either the Harlan Community Schools (K-12) or the Shelby County Catholic Schools (preK - 8). Shelby County schools are among the State's leaders in combining a top-quality academic education, with a wide variety of successful extracurricular activities.
 Business & Industry
It has a viable business community including: Shelby County State Bank (full service banking); Leinen,
Inc. (farm supply); G & R Feed & Grain (buying and selling of feed and grain) and Club 191 (restaurant and supper club known in wide area for great food).
Churches
St. Mary's Catholic Church.
Bragging Rights
A very friendly community of strong German-Catholic heritage and work ethic. It is conveniently
located at the junction of State Highways 44 and 191 and served by the Burlington Northern/Santa Fe
Railroad.
 Tourism
St. Mary's Catholic Church , Our Lady of Fatima - built in 1890 and constructed of bricks made locally, the Church was destroyed by a tornado in 1940. Rebuilding in 1951 included construction of the Our Lady of Fatima Shrine using Ozark stone and Tennessee flagstone and also included white Carrara Marble statues imported from Italy. In 1982 the interior of the Romanesque church was renovated.
St. Mary's Parish Picnic - held annually every summer to celebrate the Church and
Community.
History
The land on which Portsmouth stands was originally owned by William Williams, who built a log cabin home there in the 1860's. The early settlement grew to be known as the "Cologne Settlement" and in 1886 it moved into Portsmouth. The town began its existence with the coming of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul railway and on August 8, 1882 the Milwaukee Land Co. platted the land for the City. |
