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Manatheka

Ghost town · Benton County, Iowa

Shellsburg quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1888, 1:62,500)
Shellsburg quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1888, 1:62,500) · U.S. Geological Survey, Historical Topographic Map Collection · Public domain

Manatheka is a ghost town in Benton County, Iowa. It is one of 3 former communities in Benton County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 33rd among the 79 Iowa counties with a vanished settlement on record.

The U.S. Geological Survey lists Manatheka as a historical populated place on the Center Point 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 42.2278° N, 91.8705° W.

Key facts

USGS quadrangleCenter Point
Elevation935 ft
Nearest living townUrbana, IA
Distance to it0.8 miles
GNIS feature ID465538
Coordinates42.22777, -91.87046

Open the location on a map

What's there now

Manatheka is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Urbana, IA (population 1,628), about 0.8 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 935 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.

Nearby places

Questions

Where is Manatheka?

Manatheka is in Benton County, Iowa, at 42.2278, -91.8705.

How many ghost towns are in Benton County?

Benton 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.