Sherrill, Iowa

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Sherrill is a town in Dubuque County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, it had a population of 186. The town was named for two brothers, Adam and Isaac Sherrill, and was originally called Sherrill's Mound or Mount, since the town is sited at the base of a prominent hill. In 1856, Peter Fries, an Austrian immigrant, built a large, stone inn at the main crossroads of the town. It was popular with newlyweds, and Jesse James and his gang were reported to have stayed there prior to their famous raid on Northfield, Minnesota. The structure has survived and is now a private residence. Sherrill and the surrounding rural district received large numbers of German immigrants in the 19th century. German Catholic (Ss. Peter and Paul), German Lutheran (St. Matthew), German Methodist, and German Evangelical churches were founded and remain active. Sherrill was one of ten "Beer Towns" incorporated in Dubuque County in 1933, to ensure that the town's taverns could serve beer, under a possibly mistaken interpretation of Iowa law that licenses to dispense beer could only be granted to premises inside incorporated places. Sherrill's post office was established in 1858, with Peter Fries as postmaster. Its Zip Code is 52073.

The town of Sherrill, Iowa, as seen from the mound. The spire is Ss. Peter and Paul Catholic Church. Photo by Joe Schallan, Oct. 22, 2003.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Geography

Sherrill is located at 42°36′10″N, 90°46′56″W (42.602857, -90.782139)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 186 people, 70 households, and 52 families residing in the town. The population density was 652.9/km² (1,753.9/mi²). There were 77 housing units at an average density of 270.3/km² (726.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 100.00% White. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.15% of the population.

There were 70 households out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.6% were married couples living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.3% were non-families. 20.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.13.

The age profile of the population shows 27.4% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 104.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $38,125, and the median income for a family was $44,688. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $20,000 for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,118. None of the families and 3.3% of the population were living below the poverty line.