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This town was named for two brothers, Adam and Isaac Sherrill, and was
originally called Sherrill's Mound or Mount, since the town is situated at
the base of a prominent hill. In 1856, Peter Fries, an Austrian
immigrant, built a large, stone inn at the main crossroads of the town. It
was popular with newlyweds, and Jesse James and his gang were reported to
have stayed there prior to their famous raid on Northfield, Minnesota. The
structure has survived and is now a private residence.
Sherrill and the surrounding rural district received large numbers of
German immigrants in the 19th century. German Catholic (Ss. Peter and Paul),
German Lutheran (St. Matthew), German Methodist, and German Evangelical
churches were founded and remain active. Sherrill was one of ten "Beer
Towns" incorporated in Dubuque County in 1933, to ensure that the
town's taverns could serve beer, under a possibly mistaken interpretation of
Iowa law that licenses to dispense beer could only be granted to premises
inside incorporated places. Sherrill's post office was established in 1858,
with Peter Fries as postmaster.
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