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Union is a small rural village built on the bluffs of the Iowa River. Union has the
distinction of being the first community in what is now Hardin County. When
Greenberry Haggin and his family entered this untouched land in 1849, they were the
only white persons residing in Hardin county. What is now Union township was a high
grass prairie when the first settlers came in 1850. The early settlers were mostly
Quakers from North Carolina. Ethnic groups were primarily English and Irish with a
few Germans. Almost all were farmers or had farm related interests.
Union’s Annual Tar Heel Days is named in honor of those early settlers from North
Carolina, the "Tar Heel" state. The main attraction for settlers was the prime farm land. The Iowa River
provided water for saw mills and flour mills. There was timberland along the Iowa River
for hunting small game, house building and firewood. Coal was mined north of Union.
Today, the principal industry is still agriculture. The factors that have
made farming more efficient in terms of labor, such as research in plant
breeding, veterinary medicine, and crop production , have also influenced population
trends in the area. The town of Union, with strong support from its citizens, is
striving to grow with the times while maintaining its valuable small town characteristics.
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