Albia is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, in southern Iowa, United States. The population was 3,721 at the 2020 census.
The city of Albia is known for its historic square and city-wide Victorian Architecture. Albia is also known for the annual “Restoration” days celebration which commemorates the refurbishment of the square and the town which began in the mid-1960s.
Albia was incorporated as a town in 1856. The town was named after Albia, New York, the former home of an early settler.
On Feb. 14, 1893, there was a coal mine explosion in the Chicago and Iowa mine, about 2.5 miles west of Albia. This room and pillar mine had opened around 1877. By the time of the explosion, mining extended more than 1,000 yards from the hoisting shaft, and the mine employed 60 miners and 20 other men. One miner was killed outright and seven died later of their injuries, after a “shot” (gunpowder charge used to bring down the coal) ignited a dust explosion in the mine. This was one of only two major mine disasters in Iowa between 1888 and 1913.
In the early 20th century, the region around Albia was dotted with coal mining camps and company towns.
