52 Weeks of Fun

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City of Hazleton

Local Attractions

In 1853, E.W. Tenney opened a store and a post office in a hazelnut grove to serve the local community. The coming of the Burlington, Cedar Rapids, and Northern Railroad in 1873 led to stores, shops, and nearly all of the dwelling houses moving to a position directly on the railroad. This site is now the present city of Hazleton. Officially incorporated in the summer of 1892, churches and schools soon followed.

While the school and churches were growing the businesses of the town also expanded. In the peak business prosperity, Hazleton had three grocery stores, a fine meat market, a drug store, a variety store, a restaurant, a department store, two barbershops, a lumberyard, a hardware store, broom maker, and many other businesses. Besides all of these, the town had a huge ice house that furnished ice to the surrounding community. This ice was cut and hauled from Fontana Park Lake. Hundreds of car-loads of ice were loaded and shipped out by rail.

The Hazleton area has been associated with the Amish for many years. Buchanan County’s Amish colony started in the early 1900s when 8 families left their mother colony of Kalona and started one of their own. The Amish believe that progress cultivates sin. They stick to the old ways of transportation and clothing styles. The women fasten their dresses with common pins, coil their long hair and top it with a white cap. Their clothes are in plain colors. Men’s clothes, also homemade, are of denim and always fasten with hooks and eyes, though, their broad-brimmed, black felt hats are factory-made. The Amish are good-hearted people, hard workers, and good cooks who find their joy in the simpler things of life. Hazelton is home to several Amish businesses.



A 52 Weeks of Fun Fascinating Fact about Hazleton

The City of Hazleton, located in Northeast Iowa along Highway 150, is considered the gateway to Amish country.

Upcoming Events


The dam at Fontana Park helps create the lake, where a large ice business was located in the early 1900’s.

The Fontana Park Bridge, where it crosses Otter Creek on Hayes Street. This Warren pony truss bridge was built in 1925, but is slated for demolition and replacement in the future.

Hazleton is known as “the gateway to Amish Country” and area farm auctions carry equipment of interest to Amish farmers.

The Hazleton Veteran’s Park was created as a lasting memorial honoring all military veterans that have served, are serving and will serve in the future.

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