The community known as Luxemburg is located in the center of Liberty
Township. Originally, this area was inhabited by members of the Sac and Fox
Indians. In 1832, Chief Black Hawk surrendered to the U.S. forces, and
a treaty of peace was made. It called for the purchase of Indian land
by the U.S. Government. Shortly thereafter, European immigrant
settlers began to arrive. Liberty Township was first settled between
1838-1851 by English, Irish, Luxembourg, and German immigrants.
By the mid-1850s, about 60 families requested a Catholic church, and the
first frame structure was built in 1861 and dedicated in 1865. The
second church was built in the early 1870s. The first school
opened in the mid-1850s; its earliest teachers were Anton Pfeffer, then
Peter Simmerl. In 1878, the Franciscan Sisters of LaCrosse, WI, began
teaching in the school.
The post office, opened in 1860, was named Allison after the United
States senator, William Allison, of Dubuque. However, letters and
documents of this time were still addressed “Luxemburg (Allison P.O),”
giving the impression that the town was known as Luxemburg from the early
days of the settlement. Later it was learned there was another town in
the state by the name of Allison, and a new name had to be found for the
post office. Finally in January of 1912, shortly before the outbreak of the
First World War, the town of Luxemburg was incorporated.
A statue of St. Isidore, patron saint of farmers, stands in front of Holy
Trinity Church in Luxemburg, Iowa. The Centennial Observance of Holy
Trinity Parish notes that the parish history is the story of a "group
of sturdy farmers" who "decided they wanted a church and a
Catholic School. They organized the parish, collected money, and put
up a church. The actual building of the church was the work of
their own hands. The clumsy script of their names on the church
pledges shows they were hard-working men with calloused hands" (20).
The parish remains a rural one today.
The first businesses in Luxemburg included Shroeder's General Store (now
Ungs General Story), Goebel's Blacksmith Shop, the U.S. Post Office, the
Luxemburg Bank, the Ungs Creamery, and carpentry and stone masonry
businesses. Today, the U.S., Luxembourg, and Iowa flags
fly proudly over the new City Hall of Luxemburg.
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Memorial
from the Grand Duchy