So many people wanted to know about free land in Iowa that a small town had to unplug its phone line

Apparently, the virtual masses believe there is such a thing as a free lot.

The 120-person Iowa town of Marne, about an hour west of the Des Moines metro, has been aching for new development for years, as mayor and housing committee chair Randy Baxter told the Register in an article published Monday.

So much so, in fact, that the town is offering selected lots at no charge — provided owners build a structure of at least 1,200 square feet on the land.

Every form of media — TV, websites and social media — spread the word and the phones started ringing. A lot.

Within 36 hours of the article's publication, the call volume was so high that the town temporarily disconnected the line attached to the free lot advertisement because they couldn't attend to each call.

PREVIOUS STORY: Iowa town asks: If you give them free land, will they come?

And when that line was taken down, Baxter said he starting getting contacted at his motorcycle shop.

"The whole thing has just gone viral. It's been ringing almost-non stop," Baxter said by phone Tuesday afternoon. For perspective, he said more than a dozen calls were made to the original phone line between 6-9 p.m. Monday alone. "... I received calls from friends all over the country. It's amazing how fast it's spread."

In addition to the phone traffic, Baxter said he had a couple from the Omaha, Neb., area drive out and scout the lots already on Tuesday morning.

"There's gonna be a lot of interest," he acknowledged.

But that's a good dilemma, as rural community leaders who struggle with aging housing stocks and little to no new construction take a more active role in development.

Alongside the calls of legitimate interest have been people who ask if they can move trailers or recreational vehicles and park them on the lots. That comes with the any-publicity-is-good-publicity territory, Baxter said.

He strongly encouraged people with additional questions on the lots to visit a page on the town's website, which includes locations, applications and other information.

Besides, the website can take much more than its regular volume of 7,000 hits per month in comparison with the poor old land line.

If more serious suitors apply for the lots than the town currently has available, Baxter said initial recipients would be chosen on a first-come, first-served basis.

MORE: Rural Iowa has a housing crisis. Here's how a handful of communities are are solving it

He hopes his next "problem" is turning legitimate interest away. Even then, Baxter has a Phase 2 of the free land development plan. He said there are two parcels of land inside the city limits at about two acres each that can be subdivided and have houses built on those locations.

"And we have other lots for sale. We can modify the program," Baxter said. "Under the right circumstances, we will work something out."

If Baxter doesn't sound entirely awestruck at the response, it's because he's seen it on a smaller scale before. He said similar pockets of excitement about the land have bubbled and waned. After all, only one house has been built on available land through the town's program in the past decade.

But in a town of 120, even the smallest return rate can have a lasting impact.

"We'll see what happens," Baxter said. "If we even get one person out of the whole bunch (who builds), then it's worth doing."