Editing Lehigh, Iowa

{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2011}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Lehigh, Iowa
|settlement_type          = City
|image_skyline            = lehigh iowa.jpg
|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = Downtown Lehigh
|image_map = Webster_County_Iowa_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Lehigh_Highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location of Lehigh, Iowa
<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = Country
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Iowa]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Iowa|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Webster County, Iowa|Webster]]
<!-- Government -->
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = 
|leader_name              = 
|established_title        = 
|established_date         =
<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_19.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=March 16, 2022}}</ref>
|area_total_km2           = 5.63
|area_land_km2            = 5.47
|area_water_km2           = 0.16
|area_total_sq_mi         = 2.17
|area_land_sq_mi          = 2.11
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.06
<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 395
|population_density_km2   = 72.25
|population_density_sq_mi = 187.12
<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[North American Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
|utc_offset               = -6
|timezone_DST             = CDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -5
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
|elevation_ft             = 1076
|coordinates              = {{coord|42|21|27|N|94|03|12|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
<!-- Area/postal codes and others -->
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 50557
|area_code                = [[Area code 515|515]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 19-44265
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 2395671<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2395671}}</ref>
|website                  = 
|footnotes                = 
}}
'''Lehigh''' is a city in [[Webster County, Iowa|Webster County]], [[Iowa]], United States. The population was 395 at the time of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref name=cen2020>{{cite web |title=2020 Census State Redistricting Data |url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/data/01-Redistricting_File--PL_94-171/Iowa/ |website=census.gov |publisher=United states Census Bureau |access-date=12 August 2021}}</ref>

Located in a valley, Lehigh is divided in two by the [[Des Moines River]], unusual for such a small town. Originally the two halves of Lehigh were two separate towns. While the town on the west side of the River was always called Lehigh, the east town was called Slabtown, and a piece of history marks the east side's roots––a sign that hangs over the playground with the words "Slabtown Traders," perhaps alluding to the flea market which is held there every summer during Lehigh River Days. The "Slabtown Traders" sign was blown over by a gust of wind in the summer of 2010. It survived several floods while being located on River Street. Lehigh was surrounded by coal mines until the early 20th century and home to a large clay sewer pipe factory until the 1980s. Dolliver State Park, Brushy Creek State Recreation Area and Woodman Hollow State Preserve are located within a few miles of the town.

==History==
Lehigh's first settlers, a Mr. Reed and Mr. Wright, set up a steam [[sawmill]] on the site in 1855.  Originally, the town was named ''Slabtown'' because slabs, scrap from the mill, were used in construction.  By 1870, there was a [[Methodist church]] and a school, and Oliver Tyson had purchased the mill and expanded it, adding a flour mill.  Soon after this, Tyson opened a store.<ref>[http://www.lehighiowa.org/history.html History] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719005325/http://www.lehighiowa.org/history.html |date=July 19, 2011 }}, from the [http://www.lehighiowa.org/index.html Official website of the town of Lehigh, Iowa] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719005333/http://www.lehighiowa.org/index.html |date=July 19, 2011 }}.</ref>  The town was later renamed Lehigh, comparing the local coal veins to those of Pennsylvania's [[Lehigh Valley]].<ref>Tom Savage, [https://books.google.com/books?id=DxagLIZHNv4C&lpg=PA130&pg=PA130 A Dictionary of Iowa Place Names], University of Iowa Press, 2007; p. 130,</ref>

[[File:CoalvilleMines.png|thumb|300px|Map of the Lehigh area from 1908, showing the railroads and coal mines (in red) of the region. Lehigh is in the bottom right quadrant.]]
In 1871, W. C. Wilson of [[Webster City, Iowa|Webster City]] opened a coal mine in Lehigh and formed the [[Crooked Creek Railroad and Coal Company]].  The company built a [[narrow gauge|3-foot gauge]] rail line from Judd, on the [[Illinois Central Railroad]] 8.5 miles south to the mines, including a 370-foot wooden truss bridge across the Des Moines River.  The line was later extended to [[Webster City, Iowa|Webster City]].  By 1894, the company had opened 5 mines, all using [[longwall mining]].  The Webster Coal and Land Company operated a mine near Lehigh from 1899 to 1902.<ref>James H. Lees, History of Coal Mining in Iowa, Chapter III of [https://books.google.com/books?id=1BUMAAAAYAAJ&lpg=PA484&pg=PA583 Annual Report, 1908], Iowa Geological Survey, 1909, p. 583.</ref>

In 1878, Lehigh shipped 5,640 tons of coal.<ref>Report of the Crooked Creek Railway & Coal Company for the Year Ending June 30, 1878, [https://books.google.com/books?id=2YMpAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA377 First Annual Report of the Board of Railroad Commissioners for the Year Ending June 30, 1878], Clarkson, Des Moines, 1878; pages 377–382.</ref>  In 1883, 6,887 tons were shipped,<ref>Report of the Crooked Creek Railway Company for the Year Ending June 30, 1883, [https://books.google.com/books?id=8uUaAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA335 Sixth Annual Report of the Board of Railroad Commissioners for the Year Ending June 30, 1883], Roberts, Des Moines, 1883; pages 335–341.</ref> in 1884, 9,000 tons.<ref>Report of the Crooked Creek Railway Company for the Year Ending June 30, 1884, [https://books.google.com/books?id=1C42AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA319 Seventh Annual Report of the Board of Railroad Commissioners for the Year Ending June 30, 1884], Roberts, Des Moines, 1885; p. 319.</ref>  Membership in the [[United Mine Workers]] union is a useful measure of the importance of mining.  In 1912, Lehigh was home to UMW Local 855 with 64 members (about 6.9% of the 1910 population).<ref>Tally Sheet, [https://books.google.com/books?id=cfAUAAAAIAAJ&pg=RA1-PA1007 Proceedings of the 23rd Annual Convention of the United Mine Workers of America] Jan. 16 – Feb. 2, 1912, Indianapolis; Volume 2, pages 182A.</ref>

The Crooked Creek railroad was widened to [[standard gauge]] in 1880 and a line to Webster City was built in 1886.  In 1916, the line was incorporated into the [[Fort Dodge, Des Moines and Southern Railroad]], Iowa's longest [[Interurban]] line.  Diesel traction replaced overhead electric lines in the 1950s and the track was abandoned in 1962.<ref>George W. Hilton, [https://books.google.com/books?id=7POj8GvF4sIC&lpg=PA395&pg=PA395 American Narrow Gauge Railroads], Stanford University Press, 1990; p. 395.</ref>

By 1901, Lehigh was large enough to support a new First National Bank, with an initial capitalization of $25,000.<ref>New Banks, Changes in Officers, Etc., [https://books.google.com/books?id=2D_PAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA116 The Bankers' Magazine, Vol. LXIII], No. 1, July, 1901; page 116.</ref>  The bank must have been small; in 1910, O. J. Woodward arrived in town to become the cashier, manager and director of the bank.<ref>[https://archive.org/stream/historyoffortdod02prat/historyoffortdod02prat_djvu.txt History of Fort Dodge and Webster County, Iowa], Pioneer, Chicago, 1913; p. 10.</ref>

[[File:LehighBrick.jpg|thumb|left|250px|The Lehigh Brick and Tile brickyard, circa 1903.]]
In addition to coal mines, Lehigh was home to several other industries.  The most prominent were [[Brickworks|brickyards]] that used the [[shale]] of the [[coal measures]] as a source of [[clay]] to make both brick and [[tile drainage|drain tile]], firing their kilns with local coal.  One of these, the Lehigh Brick and Tile company, won the contract to provide paving brick for [[Dubuque, Iowa]] in 1896,<ref>Trade Notes, [https://books.google.com/books?id=Yd7NAAAAMAAJ&lpg=PA262&pg=PA262 Municipal Engineering, Vol. XI], No. 4, Oct. 1896; page 262.</ref> but suffered a serious fire in late 1897.<ref>Trade Notes, [https://books.google.com/books?id=EN_NAAAAMAAJ&lpg=PA382&pg=PA382 Municipal Engineering, Vol. XIII], No. 4, Dec. 1897; p. 382.</ref>

In 1901, there were 2 large brickworks in Lehigh, the Corey Pressed Brick Company and the Lehigh Clay Works, which began operation in 1900.  In addition, the old Lehigh Brick and Tile works was being rebuilt after the fire.<ref>Frank A. Wilder, Geology of Webster County, [https://books.google.com/books?id=O5YRAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA176 Iowa Geological Survey Annual Report, 1901], Des Moines, 1902; page 176.</ref>  Corey was mining clay from both above and below the coal seam.  By 1903, Lehigh Brick and Tile was back in production, the Lehigh and the Campbell brickyard of the Webster city Brick and Tile Company.  The Cory plant was primarily a brickworks, while the others primarily produced drainage tile.<ref>S. W. Beyer and I. A. Williams, The Geology of Clays, [https://books.google.com/books?id=Z5YRAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA503 Iowa Geological Survey Annual Report, 1903], Des Moines, 1904; ppp. 503–509.</ref>

==Geography==
Lehigh is located on the west bank of the [[Des Moines River]].

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|2.15|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|2.09|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|0.06|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.<ref name="Gazetteer files">{{cite web|title=US Gazetteer files 2010 |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |accessdate=2012-05-11 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702145235/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |archivedate=July 2, 2012 }}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{Historical populations
|title= Historical populations
|type= USA
|align= right
|1890|870
|1900|806
|1910|928
|1920|1090
|1930|996
|1940|1004
|1950|881
|1960|846
|1970|739
|1980|654
|1990|536
|2000|497
|2010|416
|2020|395
|source={{center|U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|accessdate=June 4, 2015}}</ref><ref name=cen2020/>}}|footnote=[http://data.iowadatacenter.org/datatables/PlacesAll/plpopulation18502000.pdf Iowa Data Center]
}}

===2020 census===
As of the [[United States census|census]] of 2020,<ref>{{cite web |title=2020 Census |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade/2020/2020-census-main.html |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> there were 395 people, 188 households, and 113 families residing in the city. The [[population density]] was 187.1 inhabitants per square mile (72.2/km<sup>2</sup>). There were 215 housing units at an average density of 101.9 per square mile (39.3/km<sup>2</sup>). The [[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|racial]] makeup of the city was 97.2% [[White Americans|White]], 0.0% [[African Americans|Black or African American]], 0.0% [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]], 0.0% [[Asian Americans|Asian]], 0.0% [[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]], 0.0% from other races and 2.8% from two or more races. [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] persons of any race comprised 1.0% of the population.

Of the 188 households, 23.9% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.0% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 9.6% were cohabitating couples, 18.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 29.8% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 39.9% of all households were non-families. 34.6% of all households were made up of individuals, 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older.

The median age in the city was 43.9 years. 22.0% of the residents were under the age of 20; 6.3% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 22.3% were from 25 and 44; 27.3% were from 45 and 64; and 22.0% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 56.2% male and 43.8% female.

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name ="wwwcensusgov">{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=2012-05-11}}</ref> of 2010, there were 416 people, 205 households, and 118 families residing in the city. The [[population density]] was {{convert|199.0|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 231 housing units at an average density of {{convert|110.5|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 98.6% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.2% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], and 1.2% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.2% of the population.

There were 205 households, of which 18.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.4% were non-families. 36.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.03 and the average family size was 2.61.

The median age in the city was 49.8 years. 16.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 16.6% were from 25 to 44; 36% were from 45 to 64; and 21.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.7% male and 48.3% female.

===2000 census===
As of the census<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 497 people, 223 households, and 130 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|239.3|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 247 housing units at an average density of {{convert|118.9|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 98.19% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.40% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.20% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.21% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.20% of the population.

There were 223 households, out of which 23.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.3% were married couples living together, 4.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.7% were non-families. 35.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.5% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 20.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 110.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 110.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,227, and the median income for a family was $31,458. Males had a median income of $26,484 versus $24,250 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,816. About 10.5% of families and 14.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.4% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
It is in the [[Southeast Valley Community School District]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://educateiowa.gov/sites/default/files/2023-04/FY24_SOUTHEAST%20VALLEY.pdf|title=SOUTHEAST VALLEY 2022-2023|publisher=[[Iowa Department of Education]]|access-date=2023-11-11}}</ref> [[Southeast Valley High School]] in Gowrie is that district's comprehensive high school.

Lehigh was a part of the [[Southeast Webster-Grand Community School District]],<ref>"[https://educateiowa.gov/sites/files/ed/documents/SDRP2017_SOUTHEAST%20WEBSTER%20GRAND.pdf Southeast Webster-Grand]." [[Iowa Department of Education]]. Retrieved on February 24, 2019.</ref> established on July 1, 2005, by the merger of the [[Grand Community School District]] and the [[Southeast Webster Community School District]].<ref name=Schoolmerger>"[https://www.educateiowa.gov/sites/files/ed/documents/District%20Reorganization%20History%20final.pdf REORGANIZATION & DISSOLUTION ACTIONS SINCE 1965-66]." [[Iowa Department of Education]]. Retrieved on February 23, 2019.</ref> In 2023 the Southeast Webster-Grand district merged into the Southeast Valley district.<ref name=Sheabilloff>{{cite web|last=Shea|first=Bill|url=https://www.messengernews.net/news/local-news/2023/06/southeast-valley-to-become-official/|title=Southeast Valley to become official|newspaper=[[The Messenger (newspaper)|The Messenger]]|place=[[Fort Dodge, Iowa]]|date=2023-06-30|access-date=2023-11-11}}</ref>

It was previously served by the [[Southeast Webster Community School District]],<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/19980111001839/http://se-webster.k12.ia.us/ Home]. Southeast Webster Community School District. January 11, 1998. Retrieved on February 24, 2019.</ref> which was formed on July 1, 1991, with the merger of the Central Webster Community School District and the Dayton Community School District.<ref name=Schoolmerger/>

==Notable persons==
*[[John Donaldson (pitcher)]] ended his 30+-year professional baseball career in Lehigh (1949).
*[[Hugh Lester]], professional soccer player for [[Liverpool F.C.]]

==References==

{{reflist}}

{{Webster County, Iowa}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Iowa]]
[[Category:Cities in Webster County, Iowa]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1855]]
[[Category:1855 establishments in Iowa]]