Long Grove, IA

Long Grove is a Scott County city that began with Alexander and James Brownlie, who arrived in 1838 after following the Mississippi to the Wapsipinicon and then turning west. A timber ridge, a log cabin, a stage road, and shops came first; the railroad reached the settlement in the late 1860s at Noel Station, and the town was platted in the 1890s. The Alexander Brownlie House, also called the Sod House, preserves the pioneer chapter and has been on the National Register since 1976. Every June, the Strawberry Festival brings a parade, the Strawberry Stampede, local berries, and a full day of town-centered events.