Adel, located in Dallas County, Iowa, sits about 13 miles west of the intersection of Interstates 80 and 35 on the west banks of the North Raccoon River. Originally called Penoach, the town was created as the county seat in 1847. Built along the county’s first road, Adel has grown into a thriving community while preserving its historic sites and artifacts and honoring its roots.

Adel’s Historic Preservation Commission and Adel’s Historical Museum created this website to help bring the history of Adel to life with photographs, stories of local landmarks, digitized books, and more. Read the information provided on this website to learn more about the history of Adel and how we support historic preservation. Remember that Adel’s history isn’t just online - many of the stories can be experienced in person at Adel’s historical museum!