Tabor, IA

Tabor was laid out by Ohio settlers who came with a bigger idea than simply starting another town: they wanted a Christian college modeled on Oberlin. They chose the name from biblical Mount Tabor, and Tabor College opened in 1866, operating until 1927. The abolitionist John Todd made the place part of the Underground Railroad story; his house on Park Street is now the Todd House Museum, and the Tabor Antislavery Historic District keeps that chapter visible.

The city’s current feel still leans into those beginnings. The historical society cares for four buildings, including Todd House, while the former college story lives in local records and the town’s historic places. Tabor sits in northern Fremont County, about nine miles south of Highway 34 on Highway 275, with the Fremont–Mills Community School District serving the area. A farmers’ and merchants’ picnic that began in 1931 remains an annual June tradition, alongside a farmers market and holiday lighting. It’s a small Iowa town where the college dream, abolitionist history, and a dependable summer gathering all remain part of the same address.