Lamoni is the home of Graceland University, affiliated with the Community of Christ, a denomination of the Latter Day Saint movement. Landmarks include Liberty Hall and Cheville Chapel. Lamoni is the birthplace of W. Wallace Smith, prophet-President of Community of Christ.
Lamoni, Iowa gifts and souvenirs: 24 designs made from Lamoni's own map, landmarks and history, from $10 to $95. Printed to order and shipped free in the USA.
| Popular | Price |
|---|---|
| Lamoni Hometown Ornament | $23 |
| Lamoni Vintage Travel Poster | from $40 |
| Lamoni Varsity Crewneck | from $57 |
| Lamoni Est. Tee | from $33 |
| Lamoni Town Line Mug | from $26 |
| Lamoni Market Tote | $37 |
Ceramic keepsake, gold ribbon, in 4 styles
Its landmark photo in a classic travel-poster layout
A local landmark photo as a gallery print
The town's story in dates, from its own records, for home or classroom
Map of local landmarks, washable fabric
Heavy-blend fleece, street map printed on the back
Red heavy-blend crewneck, knit-stitch town print
Soft Bella+Canvas jersey
Kids' Bella+Canvas jersey, youth sizes
Bella+Canvas toddler jersey
Bella+Canvas baby bodysuit
Glossy ceramic, dishwasher safe
Weatherproof, for the front walk
24″×16″, printed coir-look fibers, rubber back
12″×12″ printed wood, ready to hang
Soft-touch, zip cover
A local landmark photo with the town name, 18″×18″
Sturdy all-over-print tote
Glossy top, cork back
Soft fleece, 50″×60″
20 oz, double-wall stainless
6″×4″ postcard, glossy front
6″×4″ postcard, glossy front
The town's earliest Sanborn fire-insurance map, drawn building by building and hand-coloured, from the Library of Congress
Population 2010: 2,324 → 2020: 1,969
From Wikidata (CC0).
The Lamoni area was first settled in 1834 to 1840 by people who thought they were settling in slave-owning Missouri. It was only after the Sullivan Line separating Missouri and Iowa was formally surveyed when Iowa became a state in 1846 that they realized they were in non-slave-owning Iowa.
In 1851, freedom-seeking refugees from the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 sought to settle the area and form the community of New Buda (named for a neighborhood of Budapest). Their efforts did not result in a significant settlement.
In 1870, Joseph Smith III authorized the Order of Enoch to purchase over 3,000 acres (12 km2) to form a community of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS Church). Smith lived in Liberty Hall, now a museum.
Lamoni was sited just north of the Missouri border on good farmland in the northeast quadrant of Fayette Township, Decatur County, Iowa, because it is about 100 miles north of Temple Lot, an important location in church teachings. The Mormons had been evicted from Temple Lot and Missouri in the 1838 Mormon War. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, led by Brigham Young, had passed through the land in 1846, staying at nearby Garden Grove, Iowa, while en route from Nauvoo, Illinois (where they had settled after being forced to leave Missouri), to the Salt Lake Valley.
Lamoni was formally platted adjacent to newly laid tracks of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad in 1879. In 1880, Smith moved to Lamoni (as did the RLDS Church headquarters) from Plano, Illinois. In 1895, the church founded Graceland University in Lamoni. By 1900, the population of Lamoni had grown to 1,500.
After the Smith family moved to Independence to the area near Temple Lot in 1916, Liberty Hall served as a home for the aged, a farmhouse, a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp, and a private residence before becoming a museum.
Charles Hyde and David Vredenburg, members of the church affiliated with the church-owned General Supply Company, which owned Lamoni mills, hardware and grocery stores, started a grocery store chain called the Supply Store in 1930, which in turn became Hy-Vee (from their two names). Lamoni remained the company's headquarters until 1945, when it moved to Chariton, Iowa.
Adapted (trimmed) from the Wikipedia article Lamoni, Iowa, revision 1379472808 by its contributors, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
We share a part of every Lamoni sale with local partners, and we'd love to print from your collection. Old photographs, maps and postcards make the best keepsakes.
Partner with usA favorite landmark, your street, a school or team, an anniversary gift, a different product. Tell us and we'll get back to you by email.
2 free coloring pages of Lamoni, each traced from a photo of a local landmark. Print them at home, at school or for story hour.
Lamoni's population was 1,969 in the 2020 U.S. Census, down from 2,324 in 2010.
Liberty Hall
Cheville Chapel