Churchville was founded by John Churchman in 1854.[4]
The Church of the Assumption, a Catholic church, was constructed in 1859 under the Archdiocese of Dubuque. The building, the oldest Catholic church in the county, was destroyed in a fire in March 1933 and rebuilt soon afterward.[3] Calvary Cemetery, which dates from at least 1854, has been associated with the Church of the Assumption and is located about a mile west of the community.[5]
The last regular mass for the parish (established in 1890) was August 28, 2014. Parishioners were asked by the Des Moines Diocese to move to a larger parish. The building will continue to serve as a shrine where mass may be celebrated once a month and on special occasions.[6]
A rail line was established at Churchville by the late 1800s. Churchville's population was 62 in 1902.[7] The town won two complaints (1917 and 1920) against Chicago Great Western Railroad for repair of the local stock yards for shipping animals to market.[8][9]
Rail service to Churchville was discontinued in July 1921.[3] Churchville's population was 80 in 1925.[10] The population was 75 in 1940.[11]
Notable residents
Charles F. Linnan (1867–1919) Democratic State Representative of the Iowa General Assembly[12]
Adam Walsh (1901–1985) American football player and coach