We Found "Back to the Future's" Town Square... in Real Life (Our Parents' Hometown!)

We're back in our parents' hometown — a small courthouse square in the middle of Iowa that looks so much like Hill Valley from Back to the Future that we had to do a double-take. Turns out almost every little town between Kansas City and here has the same classic square-and-clock-tower layout — this one just happens to be the most cinematic. In this video, Alison walks the square with her sister Melissa, digs into the 100+ year old family history behind it, and steps inside Piper's Grocery and Candy — a candy store built in 1888 and making candy by hand since 1905, with the original wood floors still worn smooth from over a century of foot traffic. We talk penny candy, our parents meeting at the local school in the 1960s, the Civil War memorial and Mormon Pioneer Trail marker on the square, and a few "wait, is that really the capital of Iowa?" tangents along the way. If you love small-town America, hidden travel gems, and the kind of history you can only get by talking to the people who lived it — this one's for you. Featured stops: Piper's Grocery and Candy — handmade candy since 1905 The square: modeled after the same classic courthouse-square design used all over the Midwest 👯 Featuring: my sister Melissa Part of our mission is to inspire people to get out and travel — and to leave every place a little better than we found it. If a video like this ever sends you through a small town, stop at the local shop instead of the chain. That's how places like Piper's stay open for another hundred years. 📍 Location: Chariton, Iowa (Lucas County) 👉 Subscribe for more small-town stops, hidden gems, and family road trip stories. 👉 Drop a comment: what's the most "movie set" looking small town you've ever driven through? #Chariton #Iowa #SmallTownAmerica #TravelIowa #BackToTheFuture #HometownHistory