Operations
From
1898-1949

    This is an historical look at what once was, DuPont's, Iowa Powder Mills, located just 5 minutes north of Keokuk. The company village is still referred to today as "Powdertown".

    We'll look at the ruins and the scenic grounds as they were then and as they remain today.

    A video is also available.

edvinson@keokuk.com

    Photo above is what is left of the old boiler room. At one time it had a tall smokestack rising from this side of the building.

   Very few people are still living that once worked here, but the Iowa Powder Mills once had a huge economic impact on the Keokuk area. There is an eerie beauty as you stroll through the grounds. It is reminiscent of an old ghost town where there was once great activity with many people moving and making a living. The only noise now is of the breeze as it filters through the trees and the stream meandering through the series of ruins.

    The seclusion of the area makes it a wonderful place to stroll and gather ones thoughts, yet only minutes from Keokuk's city limits.

    Black blasting powder was what they manufactured here, and was sold and shipped to various mining operations in the Midwest.

    At one time, this was the largest such operation any where in the world.

    A couple of the remains you see just after you pass by the guard shack and enter the old mill grounds. Above and to the right.