A Look At Tiffin, Iowa
Photos Taken By Stephen J. Hartzell - 1999
Located among the rolling hills of Johnson County, Iowa, Tiffin is
a small town.
It lies just east of the Amana Colonies, roughly between Cedar Rapids
and Iowa City.
It is really nothing like it's older Ohio namesake, being about
10% of it's size.
It's main street is U. S. 6, the same highway that passes just north
of Tiffin, Ohio, some 500 miles away.
The system of county roads in this part of Iowa show relatively
little developement.
One might drive 5 miles without reaching a crossroad, and most of
those roads are of unpaved gravel.
Some of the important features of this town are
a convenience store and several other stores, a bar & grill,
a very nice resturaunt,
the Johnson County Garage, a new high school and a tiny football
stadium.
While in the area on business, I took the opportunity to visit a
few of it's other features.
I drove through Tiffin daily on my way to the Amana worksite.
It seemed strange to see road signs on I 80 leading to Tiffin, and
being so far from home.
Beyond a housing developement, this blue water tower at the crest of the hill can be seen for miles around.
New housing developements are now cropping up along the perimeter, all around the town.
The old General Store on the main street of town remains intact, a historic reminder of another day.
Few of the buildings in the town are older than this one, and none so well preserved in it's original look.
The Oak Hill Cemetery lies about a mile west of town, and is the only burial ground in rural Tiffin, Iowa.