Crime Scene and Trauma Cleanup in Epworth, IA

Epworth was platted in 1855 on a 40-acre town plot granted by three pioneers, and named for Epworth, Lincolnshire, England — the birthplace of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism.

Epworth incorporated as a city on November 20, 1879.

Education has defined Epworth since the Epworth Seminary opened in 1857 and became nationally recognized.

On the old seminary site, the Society of the Divine Word dedicated St. Paul's Mission House on October 30, 1932 — its first minor seminary west of the Mississippi River.

Divine Word College, completed in 1964 in a single massive building as long as two football fields, is described by the college as the only Roman Catholic seminary in the United States dedicated to educating men and women for missionary service.

Divine Word is the smallest college in Iowa, yet its students come from more than 20 countries, and beginning in 2002 it welcomed 'Lost Boys' refugees from Sudan — 36 arrived over six years.

Epworth had 2,023 residents at the 2020 census, up from 1,428 in 2000, making it the fifth-largest city in Dubuque County.

Those residents lived in 699 households and 504 families in 2020, with a median age of 35.5 years.

Epworth sits on U.S. Route 20 about 12 miles west of Dubuque and is part of the Dubuque metropolitan area, with many residents commuting into the city.

Western Dubuque High School — home of the Bobcats — is located in Epworth, along with Epworth Elementary School, and Seton Catholic Elementary School keeps one of its three buildings in town.