Indian reservation

The first permanent residents of Waverly were settled there against their will. Because of their alleged assistance given to Chief Black Hawk during the Blackhawk War of 1832, the Winnebago were forced to cede their lands east of the Mississippi and to move to Neutral Ground in what is now northeastern Iowa. They were to receive $270,000 ($10,000 per year for 27 years) and were required to surrender several of their tribesmen accused of murdering whites during the war. At that time there were three tribes living in the area, the Winnebagoes numbering about 500, the Mesquakie numbering about 100 and the Pottawattomies numbering about 50. With Iowa statehood in 1846, the Winnebago were moved again. In an 1845 treaty, the Winnebago exchanged their Iowa lands for the 800,000-acre (3,200 km²) Long Prairie (Crow Wing River) reserve in Minnesota and $190,000. In 1848, a detachment of United States troops from Fort Atkinson, Iowa, came to enforce the removal. All told, between 1840 and 1863, the Winnebagoes were moved five times. They were pushed first to northeastern Iowa, then to Long Prairie, Minnesota, then to Blue Earth, Minnesota, then to Crow Creek, South Dakota. In 1865, after the constant upheaval cost 700 tribal members’ lives, the current Winnebago Reservation in Nebraska was established by the treaties of 1865 and 1874. The tribe lost more than two thirds of this land in the General Allotment Act of 1887. By 1913, only 120,000 acres (490 km²) of cropland, woodland, and pasture remained. The tribe is federally recognized and organized under the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act. The Winnebago Tribe established a constitution in 1936 which was amended in 1968.

Settlement

Frederick Cretzmeyer is credited with being the first European settler in Waverly. Having purchased 160 acres (0.6 km²) in 1852, he built a log hut on the east side of the Cedar River (or what was once called the Red Cedar River). Soon more homes were constructed as other settlers arrived, with some of their later homes built just over the hill behind the old recycling center.

William Patterson Harmon came to Waverly in the spring of 1853 with the idea of establishing a town and a saw mill. He purchased most of what is now Waverly from the United States Government for $1.25 an acre. The area was incorporated as a town on April 25, 1859, according to the Library of the State of Iowa. (A centennial celebration was held in August 1956.)

Two stories exist on how the town was named. The speaker at the ceremony was said to have been a fan of Sir Walter Scott's Waverley novels and when it came time to name the town (which settlers had wanted to call Harmonville or Harmon) he inadvertently called it Waverly. The myth goes that Jennie Harmon Case later wrote that it was her father who was the speaker and that he made the decision to name the town after the favorite book, instead of the proposed "Harmonville." Coincidentally, Bremer County's name also honors a person eminent in literature. Bremer was named in 1850 by Governor Hempstead, who was an admirer of the Swedish feminist author Fredrika Bremer.^[4]

The first school was started by Charles Ensign in a log cabin in 1854. A stone school house was erected by 1855 and additional schools were built in 1861 and 1868. The first graduating class of the Waverly High School was the class of 1875 with two students. Wartburg College moved to Waverly from Clinton, Iowa, in 1856. The public library was established in 1866.

In 2014, the Waverly East Bremer Avenue Commercial Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Among the noted buildings in the listing is the WPA-era post office, which contains a mural designed by artist Mildred W. Pelzer for the Section of Painting and Sculpture, later called the Section of Fine Arts, of the Treasury Department. The painting, called "A Letter from Home in 1856", depicted a farm family pausing during plowing to read a letter from their former home.^[5]

2010 census

At the 2010 census,^[9] there were 9,874 people, 3,546 households and 2,294 families in the city. The population density was 896.8 per square mile (346.3/km²). There were 3,732 housing units at an average density of 339.0 per square mile (130.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.3% White, 1.7% African American, 0.1% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.3% of the population.

There were 3,546 households, of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.3% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.86.

The median age was 33.1 years. 20.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 21.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.9% were from 25 to 44; 21.5% were from 45 to 64; and 16.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup was 47.4% male and 52.6% female.

2000 census

At the 2000,census,^[10] there were 8,968 people, 3,238 households and 2,143 families residing in the city. The population density was 803.4 inhabitants per square mile (310.2/km²). There were 3,394 housing units at an average density of 304.0 per square mile (117.4/km²). The racial makeup was 97.11% White, 1.05% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.87% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.12% from other races, and 0.72% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 0.61% of the population.

There were 3,238 households, of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% were married couples living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.90.

21.5% of the population were under the age of 18, 20.4% from 18 to 24, 21.5% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.4 males.

The median household income was $39,587 and the median family income was $52,656. Males had a median income of $36,369 and females $22,031. The per capita income was $18,285. About 2.1% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.0% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.

Police and fire departments

Waverly's police department consists of 16 officers.^[18]

The fire department is a volunteer force of 30 to 40 citizens.^[19]

Utilities

Health care

Waverly Health Center is a 25-bed critical access hospital in Waverly. It provides inpatient care, ambulatory surgery, outpatient services, specialty clinics and emergency room care to area residents. More than 50 health care providers and visiting specialists care for patients there, allowing residents local access to specialized care.^[20] Waverly Health Center is accredited by the Joint Commission.^[21]