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“The Prettiest Place in Iowa”

Henry Anson was the first European settler in what is now called Marshalltown. In April 1851, Anson found what he described as “the prettiest place in Iowa.”[6] On a high point between the Iowa River and Linn Creek, Anson built a log cabin. A plaque at 112 West Main Street marks the site of the cabin.[7] In 1853 Anson named the town Marshall, after Marshall, Michigan, a former residence of his.[8]