What is the history of Massena, Iowa?
The city of Massena was platted by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad on land purchased from A. Vredenburgh in 1883 and 1884 that included most of Section 33 of Cass County. The incorporated city was platted in 1886. The first meeting of the city council was on March 21, 1887 and a special election was held on Dec 10, 1887 to enlarge the corporate limits to include all of section 33. The city was platted with the name of “Smith,” but the post office authorities refused the name because of another city with a similar spelling. Lume A. Stone, an American Civil War soldier from Massena, New York, suggested Massena after his hometown, and thus the name of the township and town. That Massena was the named after a FranceFrench Marshal under Napolean, Andre Massena.
