“Lighting the way since 1852” is the town motto which reflects the goals of the first settlers who came from Ohio to establish a Christian town and college, opened in 1866. The college offered a four-year bachelor’s degree and was open to all, regardless of gender or race, a rarity during this time. The college closed due to financial problems in 1927.
One of the town’s founders, Reverend John Todd, was a conductor on southwest Iowa’s Underground Railroad and in the 1850s helped freedom seekers escape enslavement, most from Missouri. The Todd home remains standing in its original location and is open for tours by appointment by contacting the Tabor Historical Society. Visitors may also visit two additional buildings containing historical memorabilia.
Veterans Memorial Park honors those who answered the call to serve, featuring a memorial wall inscribed with the names of Tabor veterans from the Mexican War through Desert Storm. An eagle statue stands surrounded by trees and a raised flowerbed, with the American Flag mural — completed in 2023 by Omaha artists from A Midsummer’s Mural — gracing the east wall of the VFW.
Tabor’s deep connection to the Underground Railroad is remembered throughout the community. At the corner of Elm and Main Street, a northern star barn quilt stands across from the VFW park as a tribute to the freedom seekers who passed through Tabor in the 1850s, guided northward by that same star.
Public Art on Main Street tells the story of Tabor through the work of talented artists. On the west side of Main Street, a mural depicts Tabor College as it appeared in the late 1800s, based on a painting by Harold Wilkins — a grandson of early area settlers who went on to become a regionally known artist, with work displayed in public and private venues throughout the Midwest. On the east side of the street, four images from the collection of the Paul Andrew Clapper Foundation can be seen on the north face of the corner building’s second floor. Paul grew up in Tabor with a deep passion for art and photography, building a career as a commercial and freelance photographer before his life was cut short by cancer at the age of 25.
Tabor is also home to the Fremont-Mills School District, which serves the surrounding communities of Randolph, Thurman, and Bartlett.
The community has a beautiful resource in the Lakin Library and Envisioning Center, opened in 2022.
Activities and events are planned throughout the year by the Hometown Pride Committee and Community Club, including the Farmers and Merchants Picnic — a summer celebration held annually since 1932 — trick-or-treating on Main Street, and the Miracle on Main Street, a Christmas celebration with a lighted parade.