Biohazard Cleanup Near North Hedrick Hedrick, IA

Hedrick is a city in Keokuk County, Iowa, whose motto is 'Where Friends Meet.'

Hedrick owes its existence to a railroad crossing: in 1882 the narrow-gauge Burlington and Western Railway and its competitor, the Iowa Central Railway, built competing east-west lines through the area where they crossed the Rock Island tracks, a natural location for a station and a town.

Hedrick was incorporated on April 23, 1883, and was named for General Hedrick.

Hedrick boomed quickly after the railroads arrived, reaching its peak population of 1,035 in the 1900 census.

The 2020 census counted 728 people in Hedrick, living in 303 households.

The Burlington and Western line through Hedrick was widened to standard gauge in 1902 and merged into the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy a year later, but the line was abandoned in 1934.

Hedrick made unwanted history on July 1, 1991, when the former Hedrick Community School District became the first school district in Iowa to be involuntarily dissolved by the state for failing to meet certification requirements; Hedrick students were rezoned to the Pekin Community School District.

Hedrick is notable for its well-preserved brick Main Street and its depot, which formerly served both the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway running east-west and the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific running north-south.

Most of Hedrick's remaining businesses are located along Iowa Highway 149 rather than in the old historic business district, after several Main Street businesses closed during the town's economic decline around 1991.

In 2023, Hedrick was struck by an EF-4 rated tornado.