Minnesota Book

Because it's a small-population state, Iowa's history is not well known. The history of its small African American population even less so. The short but interesting history of one community, Buxton, deserves to be remembered. Buxton was a predominantly Black coal patch town operated under the principles of "welfare capitalism" (like Pullman in Chicago) in the southeastern part of the state from roughly 1900-1920s. While the men worked below, community flourished above under relative corporate benevolence, as least compared to the exploitation more common to mining company towns. In addition to constructing Buxton's documented history, the authors interview former residents and descendants, finding a fondness for the lost settlement that persists in their memories. This is a formal academic study, so it's dry at times, but the subject matter still intrigues.