Eldon, IA

Eldon is a city in Wapello County, Iowa, United States. The 2020 census counted 783 residents. Eldon is the home of the small Carpenter Gothic style house that served as the backdrop for Grant Wood's 1930 painting, American Gothic. Eldon got its start in the year 1870, following construction of the Keokuk and Des Moines Railway through the territory. The through line in Eldon is the way its history and present-day settings remain visible on the same map. Eldon makes the most sense through those concrete details, with its history still visible in the settings people use today. Eldon was incorporated in 1872. Eldon is located in the southeast corner of Wapello County eleven miles southeast of Ottumwa on the northeast bank of the Des Moines River across the river from the Soap creek confluence. Iowa Highway 16 passes through the community.