Iowa Point, an old town in Doniphan county, is located on the Missouri river and the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy R. R. in Iowa township 14 miles northwest of Troy, the county seat. It has express and telegraph offices and a money order postoffice. The population in 1910 was 150. This is one of the important towns of the county, historically. It was founded in 1855 by H. W. Forman, J. W. Forman and J. S. Pemberton on land formerly belonging to Rev. S. M. Irwin, the missionary. The first two buildings were erected by members of the town company in 1854. The first store was occupied by Beeler & Williams. A hotel was opened by B. Beeler. The first drug store was opened by Leigh & Brown, the former being the first physician. In 1856 the town took a decided boom. Fine brick buildings went up, among them a $10,000 hotel, a sawmill and a grist mill. One of the earliest Masonic lodges in the state was moved to the town in 1857, and the first lodge of Good Templars was organized. The town soon out-stripped Atchison in size and became second in the state in point of population and first in business. Several wholesale houses were in operation by 1858, a brick yard was started, and a ferry boat was put in operation on the Missouri. With the beginning of the war the citizens promptly organized a company of militia under Capt. C. J. Beeler, which took part in the war during the entire four years. In 1862 a company of the Eighth Kansas was stationed at Iowa Point for the protection of the river front. In that year a great fire destroyed the main part of town (the big hotel had already been burned), the ferry boat sunk, and the newspapers suspended. The town never recovered from the effects of these disasters. It was southern in its sympathies and the only slave ever offered for sale was sold at auction in the street in 1857.