Wayfarrow

Barrell

Ghost town · Decatur County, Iowa

Lamoni quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1945, 1:62,500)
Lamoni quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1945, 1:62,500) · U.S. Geological Survey, Historical Topographic Map Collection · Public domain

Barrell is a ghost town in Decatur County, Iowa. It is one of 3 former communities in Decatur County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 30th among the 79 Iowa counties with a vanished settlement on record.

The U.S. Geological Survey lists Barrell as a historical populated place on the Davis City topographic quadrangle: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 40.6981° N, 93.8674° W.

Key facts

USGS quadrangleDavis City
Elevation993 ft
Nearest living townDecatur, IA
Distance to it3.6 miles
GNIS feature ID467227
Coordinates40.69806, -93.86745

Open the location on a map

What's there now

Barrell is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Decatur, IA (population 163), about 3.6 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 993 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.

Nearby places

Questions

Where is Barrell?

Barrell is in Decatur County, Iowa, at 40.6981, -93.8674.

How many ghost towns are in Decatur County?

Decatur County, Iowa has 3 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.

Sources and licences

Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.