City of St. Charles, IOWA 50240

POPULATION 619

"Gateway to the Bridges" of Madison County.

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LOCATION:
St. Charles, with a population of 619, is located 30 miles southwest of Des Moines 1 mile west of Interstate 35 at Exit 52 on County G50 which continues on to Winterset. St. Charles' location adjacent to Interstate 35 makes it an easy commute to Des Moines where many of its residents are employed.

TELEPHONE COMPANY & SERVICES:
Interstate 35 Telephone Company services the St. Charles, St. Marys, and Truro areas.

SCHOOLS:
St. Charles is part of the Interstate 35 Community School District along with Truro and New Virginia with a K-12 enrollment of 727. A large addition was completed at the High School in Truro in 2001. This new addition made it possible to house K-12 in a central location.

WELCOME MESSAGE:
St. Charles would like to invite everyone traveling Interstate 35 south of Des Moines to take a few minutes to view the Imes Covered Bridge, to continue on Main Street to visit our Welcome Center located in the historic Presbyterian Church. On display at the Church is local craft items and antique treasures. The Church has a great deal of information/maps on local attractions in Madison County along with information and sites to see all over Iowa. Highway G50 is a scenic route on to Winterset to the John Wayne Birthplace and the other four bridges of Madison County.

TOURIST ATTRACTIONS & RECREATION:
St. Charles is the home of the Imes Covered Bridge, which is the oldest of the five remaining covered bridges in Madison County. The 90-foot Imes bridge was built in 1870 and was originally located in Union Township. In 1887 it was moved by horses to a location southwest of St. Charles to span Clanton Creek where it sat until it was once again moved in October 1977 to a small park on the east side of St. Charles to be preserved for future generations. St. Charles boasts three parks within its city limits. City Park is located on the north edge of St. Charles with picnic tables, a shelter, a tennis court, and restrooms. Old Settlers Park is located north of Main Street and is used each summer for the Old Settlers Reunion. There is also a shelter house and picnic tables in Old Settlers Park. The third park is the Covered Bridge Park where the Imes Bridge is located.

St. Charles Welcome Center

BUSINESS & INDUSTRY:
Businesses along Main Street include a branch of Montross Drug Store with its old marble soda fountain, a branch of Farmers & Merchants State Bank with a 24-hour ATM machine and a turn-of-the-century vault, Peck's Feed and Supply Store, a laundromat, Overton's car wash, St. Charles One Stop and Applied Electronics Corporation. Other St. Charles businesses include Fickes Home Center and three beauty shops. The building which houses the Farmers & Merchants Bank, the Mason's Lodge, and the Post Office is below.

LOCAL HISTORY:
The town of St. Charles was laid out in 1851 with the platting done on October 7, 1852, and the first house (a one-story log dwelling) erected in 1853.

FESTIVALS AND CELEBRATIONS
The Old Settlers Reunion, held the third weekend in July, was the idea of an early settler in 1886. The first "real" picnic of Madison and Warren Counties was held in Clanton's Grove in August of 1887. For several years, the reunion was held in various groves just west of town, but for the past 97 years it has been held in Old Settlers Park in St. Charles.

CHURCHES:
The St. Charles Parish was originally the Methodist Church which was erected in 1905. In the 1970's the Methodists, Presbyterians, and Christians all combined to become the St. Charles Parish. The brick Presbyterian Church, built in 1915, located on Main Street, is owned by the City and is currently being restored by the Historical Preservation Committee. The Calvary Baptist Church was built in the 1960's and is located in the east end of St. Charles. The New Life Family Worship Center is a nondenominational ministry established in 1991 and located on the far east edge of St. Charles. The St. Charles Parish Church is shown here:

BRAGGING RIGHTS:
There are many fine older homes in St. Charles, several of which have been renovated in recent years but there is also a new development on the south edge of St. Charles with new houses being built periodically. A new addition has just been annexed to the south side of the city which will add additional lots for new homes. There are also several duplexes in town and a manor with 17 units for senior citizens.

MISCELLANEOUS:
St. Charles has a modern fire station with a new fire truck, volunteer fire department, and a volunteer rescue squad. Dr. James Scott Billings, D.O., has his office on Main Street. Organizations in St. Charles include Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H, Lions, Eastern Star, Masons, and various church-sponsored groups. There are organized little leagues for both boys and girls for spring-into-summer baseball and softball.

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