More than 150 years of showing up for our neighbors
German Farmers Mutual Insurance Association was started in 1870. True to the association’s name, the original minutes were recorded entirely in German — the first English minutes didn’t appear until 1921, and the last German minutes were written in 1925.
For over a century the mutual grew alongside Waukon itself: from a one-room office shared with a local barbershop, to two rooms at 18 Spring Avenue, to the building next door at 20 Spring Avenue where we still serve members today. In 1986 the association purchased and remodeled a neighboring Spring Avenue building — previously home to a bar — completing the expansion in January 1987.
On January 1, 1995, the association expanded through a reinsurance assumption agreement with Scandinavian Mutual, continuing to serve all its customers under the German Farmers Mutual name. On January 1, 2008, the German Farmers name was retired and the association became GFMutual Insurance Association, authorized as a 518A company under the Code of Iowa and permitted to write in eleven counties of northeast Iowa.
Today GFMutual continues to offer coverage for home, farm, seasonal home, mobile home, tenant, and rental home. The association is reinsured with Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company of Grinnell, Iowa.
Milestones
- 1870 German Farmers Mutual Insurance Association is founded; minutes are kept in German.
- 1915 C.J. Helming is the first secretary-manager on record.
- 1923 John Meier takes over; the one-room office is shared with a local barbershop.
- 1958 Karl Simmons moves the mutual to two rooms at 18 Spring Avenue.
- 1968 Charles Cook moves the office next door — 20 Spring Avenue, where we remain today.
- 1985 Linda Bernhard becomes secretary-manager.
- 1987 The remodeled and expanded Spring Avenue office is completed.
- 1995 Reinsurance assumption agreement with Scandinavian Mutual.
- 2008 Renamed GFMutual Insurance Association; authorized as an Iowa 518A company writing in eleven counties.
Backed by Grinnell Mutual
GFMutual is reinsured with Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company of Grinnell, Iowa — added financial strength standing behind every policy we write.