USA > Iowa > Story County > A history of Story county, Iowa: Carefully compiled, from the earliest settlement to the present, March 1, 1887. > Part 5
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At that time, and for several years thereafter, the leading hotel was that of J. M. McLain, consisting of the log portion of the old buildings just south of Quincy A. Boynton's place-the last named place being the site of a quite deep pond, the waters of which were often lashed into waves by the unobstructed wind.
There was another hotel built of logs, which stood west of and facing the south square, popularly known as the Terrific. It was not considered a first-class house, though it is not improbable that many of the "big bugs " of the day stopped there.
July 4, 1855, was celebrated by a procession, orations, etc., at the grove which stood near the old ford, southwest of the cemetery.
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HISTORY OF STORY COUNTY, IOWA.
T. J. Adamson was president of the day, Isaac Romane was marshal, fully decked in old militia uniform and feathers, and carrying a sword that is remembered mainly for its length; the reader of the Declaration was Randolph Goodin, then quite a young man; the orator was a man named Carpenter, from Newton, who made a failure in speaking, and was supplemented in that line by a Baptist minister from another county, who happened to be present.
There was a picnic dinner near where the court house was after- wards built, with plenty of corn bread and a great many other good things-and with a cask of home-brewed beer, brought on an ox wagon by Jerry Marks from his place near Skunk River.
The celebration was attended by nearly all the residents of the county, and by some from counties adjacent, many of whom came with ox-teams and started the day before, so as to be on hand in time. It was a notable and highly satisfactory occasion.
This account would be incomplete without mention of the music, which was furnished by a Mr. Cory, from Cory's Grove, who beat upon a drum, and was accompanied by a fife, making a good deal more noise than tune, according to the recollection of my informant.
It seems somewhat strange to us now to consider that when Thos. Fitzgerald settled where he now lives his nearest neighbors would be Elisha Alderman and J. P. Robinson, Sr., and that he had no neighbors to the north and west on this side of Skunk River and below E. C. Evans'. He tells of going to mill to Red Rock, in Marion County, in company with W. K. Wood, and only being able to get fifty cents worth of flour, that being the total stock on hand. To make bad matters worse one of his horses died on the way home. He tells of seeing Cale Walters attacked by a timber wolf at the upper ford, west of Nevada, and only being saved from serious damage by the presence of his dog. Also of going to James Smith's mill on Long Dick, which he describes as grinding " about as fast as a coffee mill, but not as fine." His recollection is that his wife had no great trouble in choosing between LeGrand flour, Peter Baker's best, and the Minnesota brands in those ever-memorable days.
J. H. Talbott was one of the early merchants. He arrived in June, 1856, picked up such building material as he could find and put up the building now occupied by O. Hambleton, but which was then on the Welton corner, facing the south square. After placing the goods he had bought in the building, and nailing up the open- ings for doors and windows with rough boards, he started for more goods, with ox-teams to Muscatine. After starting the loaded teams back he went to Illinois for a time, and when he returned he found that a Mr. Hackley, with whom he had stopped when here, had made a dancing hall of his second floor (of loose boards), had opened his goods and made general distribution of them, some for cash, others on credit, but had kept no books, and could not tell who had the goods, or how much or who had paid, and had no knowledge of the value of the goods sold. He said, however, that they were all
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HISTORY OF STORY COUNTY, IOWA.
sold to good men. From this start Mr. Talbott soon opened a good trade, part of which came from adjoining counties.
Among the settlers not named elsewhere who settled in Nevada and its neighborhood from 1854 to 1856, may be named R. H. Mitchell, Sam S. Statler, J. C. Hempstead, E. G. Day, John Scott, W. K. Smith, J. L. Dana, J. D. Ferner, S. E. Harrison, W. G. Allen, Wm. Lockridge, David Child, James Green, H. F. Murphey, E. S. Hoag, C. P. Robinson, J. G. Tanner, James Hawthorn, Ellis Arm- strong, G. A. Kellogg, John Hail, D. L. Stephens, J. W. Cessna, Henry Bailey, Smith Goodin, and many others.
The first celebration of
INDEPENDENCE DAY
in Story County was in 1854, at Iowa Center. John G. Woods was president; Rev. W. B. Hand was the orator, and Peter Gordy read the Declaration. Cannon were extemporized from the blacksmith's anvils, and " Uncle Tommy " furnished the stars and stripes, the same consisting of a piece of white cloth on which he exhausted himself in painting an eagle in lamp-black. His own testimony is that the portrait would stand much better for that of a crow, but the crows would probably deny the resemblance in everything but color. Two travelers rode up while Mr. Hand was speaking, and on loud calls for another speech from somebody, one of the visitors ad- dressed the crowd, much to their edification. The exercises closed with a bountiful dinner.
RELIGION AND MORALITY.
Story County has long been noted for the religious and moral character of its population. It has had less drunkenness, fewer broils, and less litigation than almost any county with an equal population. Whisky has never been sold at a bar except in viola- tion of law, and followed by punishment. Beer and wine have sometimes been retailed as a beverage, but there is also a strong sen- timent against even that, and at some period of the county's history these have been prohibited for years at a time.
I give now a short history of that Pioneer corps, the religious sappers and miners, known as the
METHODIST CHURCH.
The earliest records of this church relate to a quarterly meeting on the ninth day of December, 1854, for the Story Mission, held at Barker's school house, in the north part of Jasper County, on the road from Iowa Center to Newton. The minutes show that Wm. Simpson was presiding elder, John Anderson was preacher in charge; Elisha Alderman was an exhorter; Wm. M. Allen and Geo. Hestell were class leaders, and that Benjamin Culyer, H. Alderman, Wm. H. Allen, Huper Parsons, and W. W. Utterback were elected stewards.
The minutes of the next meeting, which was held at the school house near Iowa Center, February 24, 1855, show that the Mission
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HISTORY OF STORY COUNTY, IOWA.
belonged to the Montezuma District, and the Rev. John Parker took his seat as a local preacher.
The meeting for the fourth quarter was held at the house of George Holland, some two miles west of Iowa Center. At this meeting J. J. Cole was licensed, and license renewed to N. Apple- gate, John Parker, E. Alderman and John Anderson. The course of the trustees was approved, and they were directed to go ahead and build the house. (This is supposed to refer to a house near Elisha Alderman's, either for preaching or a parsonage, most likely the latter.) Brother McCartney was made steward, in place of W. W. Utterback, released.
In 1856 the first Quarterly Conference was held at Bro. Baker's, Rev. J. E. Hestwood being preacher in charge. The name of J. Haden as presiding elder, is signed to the minutes, they showing, however, that he was not present. The second meeting was ordered to be at Bro. Dye's, but was held at Bro. McCartney's, in the same neighborhood. The name of Joanna McCartney appears now as a class leader. The third meeting is shown to have been held at "Nevada County, Iowa," June 24th. At this meeting there were some complaints against Bro. Parker, but he was acquitted. Bro. Richard Jenness was released as steward, and Melburn Pettibone appointed. It appears that there was a church in course of erec- tion at Iowa Center, and a debt of $58.90 against it. The fourth meeting was at the camp ground near Iowa Center. Wm. Tiche- nor, Robert McCartney, N. Applegate, George Holland, S. W. Day, John J. Cole and Joseph Tichenor were appointed a committee to secure a lot to build a parsonage. George Merryhew's license as local preacher was renewed.
The first quarterly meeting, for 1857 was held at McCartney's school house, which stood in the timber near McCartney's house. on the road to Utterbacks from where F. A. McLain now lives. The second was held at Nevada, at which John Parker was expelled, E. G. Day was appointed steward in the place of V. Tomlinson, resigned, J. M. Rankin was presiding elder; and J. F. Hestwood was preacher in charge. At the fourth meeting Samuel Gossard appears as local preacher, B. J. Dunning as an exhorter, Johna- than Mathews and Cyrus Davis as class leaders. It was also re- solved that Missionary aid is no longer needed on this Mission.
At the meeting of Conference in the fall of 1857 it seems that Nevada was made a circuit of the upper Iowa Conference, and Jos. Cadwallader was made preacher in charge. Nothing of general interest during the year.
In 1858 I. N. Holmes was made presiding elder of the district, and R. Swearengen was sent as preacher in charge. There were classes then at Nevada, McCartney's, Applegates, Mullins, Bloom- ington, Smiths, and Cambridge.
The Methodist Society at Nevada was organized at the house of J. W. Cessna who then lived where the Warring House now stands. The seven names then entered on the roll were those of E. G.
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HISTORY OF STORY COUNTY, IOWA.
Day and wife, Mrs. Cessna, M. Pettibone, Mrs. Warren, Mrs. W. G. Allen and Mrs. Kellogg. This was about the last of May, 1856, and was the original organization of the church at this place, hav- ing continued unbroken till the present time.
In this Centennial year the Methodist Episcopal Church in Story County supports four circuits and one station, paying about $3,500 per annum to the five ministers; there are seven local preachers; twenty places of stated preaching; seven hundred and sixty mem- bers, about two thousand that attend Sunday schools, and over three thousand of all ages who attend the various places of worship. The church property is valued at $15,000; the annual contributions for benevolent purposes and sustaining the church institutions, exclu- sive of what is paid the pastors, amount to about $2,500.
THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
The Presbyterian Church has quite a strong hold in the county. Probably the first services held under the auspices of that sect were led by Rev. Thompson Bird of Des Moines, who had settled there at a very early day. The village of Iowa Center and various school houses in the county, must have been the scene of occasional labors looking toward the establishment of folds for the scattered sheep. The first formal announcement of systematic efforts, however, was the notice of Rev. B. F. Stuart, as stated elsewhere, followed by a church organization, but which was finally abandoned, and slumbered for several years.
About the year 1864 the Rev. I. Reid came to Story County in capacity of a Presbyterian Minister, and mainly through his efforts that church has been sustained. Mr. Reid's labors have not been confined to his particular charge, but he has had regular appoint- ments at Iowa Center and Center Grove, and has led other services as opportunity offered. It may be interesting to note that he preached the first sermon ever delivered in Ames. This was an un- finished building belonging to Deacon Kingsbury, and during the services the floor broke down and huddled the congregation. But, doubtless, for lack of necessary organizing labor at Ames, at an early day, the Presbyterian element assimilated with the Congrega- tionalists, and thus was organized the excellent church of that sect in that village.
The earliest Presbyterian record are those of the "Presbyterian church of Iowa Center." This church was organized in April, 1855, by Rev. Thompson Bird, of Des Moines, and its first minutes and date of organization are in his own beautiful handwriting. In a preliminary note he states that previous to the organization both himself and Rev. N. C. Robinson of Vinton, had done pioneer mis- sionary work in this county.
On the day of organization but three presented their names, viz .: Mr. Joseph P. Robinson, and Mary, his wife, and Dr. Samuel Floyd. Mr. Robinson was declared ruling elder.
The first regular minister the church had was Rev. B. F. Stewart who came on the field July 19, 1856.
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HISTORY OF STORY COUNTY, IOWA.
In addition to his Iowa Center appointment he preached regularly in Nevada, and at other points; Bakers (Mullen's) school house, at the house of Mrs. Hague, Swedespoint and Boonsboro.
July 28, 1857, a Presbyterian Church was organized at Nevada, by Rev. B. F. Stewart and Rev. Williston Jones of Iowa Falls, consisting of thirteen members. Johnathan Myres was elected ruling elder, but soon left the church irregularly. Rev. Mr Stu- art's connection, and the churches at Nevada and Iowa Center, was with what was then called the new School Presbyterian General Assembly.
In the year 1864 it was found that the former church organized by Mr. Stewart had scattered, and a new church was organized by Rev. C. I. Black of Newton, Iowa. The date of this organization (the Presbyterian Church, Nevada,) is March 26, 1864, with eleven members. D. B. Stout was elected elder, James M. Applegate, deacon. They called Rev. I. Reid, then a student, in Auburn The- ological Seminary, N. Y., for their minister, who reached the field June 19th of the same year.
The corner stone of their present church edifice was laid July 7, 1866, and the building was first used for worship January 19,1867, and was dedicated December 29, 1867. Sermon by Rev. E. J. Gillett, D. D., of Keokuk, Iowa. This was the second church edifice in Nevada.
The Cumberland branch of Presbyterian order, organized its first church in the southern part of the county during the year 1857. Though this body never had an organization in Nevada, for a num- ber of years they had regular appointments, and built the first church edifice in the county seat. The property being held by the church in the vicinity of Iowa Center. This church edifice was sold and removed about the time of the erection of the present church buildings in Nevada. The society is still in a flourishing condition, holding services at Mullen and Washington school houses. Rev. F. M. Johnson serving as minister.
A second Cumberland church, called "Pisgah," was organized in 1874, by Rev. L. L. Lorimore, with thirteen members. Elders, L. McKim, J. H. Keigley; Deacons, B. Confare, and D. Spencer; Min- ister, Rev. F. M. Johnson.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Johnson's Grove, was organized February 16, 1865, by Rev. J. G. Beckley, with eight . members. The present membership is about fifty-nine. Their place of worship is the school house just south of Johnson's Grove. For about eight years Bro. Beckley preached for them.
LUTHERAN CHURCH.
The Norwegians began to settle in the north part of the county in 1856. They are of the Lutheran denomination, and their first church was built in 1861-2. It was situated about one mile east of Story City. The lumber for this building was brought from the Des Moines River at a cost of $2,400. The first minister was the Rev. Mr. Rasmussen, from Lisbone, Illinois. He came out about
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HISTORY OF STORY COUNTY, IOWA.
once every six months to visit his little flock. In 1860 the present pastor, Rev. N. Amlund, was regularly settled as minister of this church. In 1870 another church was organized, with Rev. E. Johnson as pastor. In 1870 Rev. J. Eistson became the pastor, and the same year the congregation built a church one mile west of Roland at a cost of two thousand dollars. This congregation is building another church this year two miles north of Story City at about the same cost.
In 1873 a church was built at Roland costing $6,000, and in 1875 one at Story City at a like cost. These are said to be the largest and best churches in the county.
There are churches of the same denominations, perhaps equally as strong and wealthy, in the southwestern part of the county, but I have been furnished no information on the subject.
OTHER DENOMINATIONS.
A man named Jessup preached in July, 1855, being mainly re- membered as standing in the legs of his boots, the heels being turned well up at the sides. Several of the congregation attended with bare and unwashed feet, all of which may have been out of re- spect to the preacher. Jessup was of the United Brethren persua- sion, and was the fore-runner of Rev. Ives Marks, of Palestine who belonged to the same denomination, and afterwards preached at Nevada, and in other parts of the county.
On Monday, September 1, 1858, the Rev. H. W. Lee, Bishop of this Diocese, preached, and administered the right of confirmation to seven persons on the camp ground west of Iowa Center. It was the first time this service was ever performed in an Iowa Grove. The Bishop spoke of it as a very interesting era in his ministry. On Tuesday he preached in the court house, at Nevada, and con- firmed one. Rev. X. A. Welton had been holding services for some time previous.
About this time the United Brethren held a camp meeting in Ballard's Grove in which there was much interest, which was en- hanced by a young lady passing into a trance, in which she con- tinued for nine days, conscious but partaking of no food.
September 8, 1856 a notice was published in the Advocate, ad- dressed to the members of the Free Will Society, or those in favor of good liquors being kept by respectable men for medical, me- chanical and religious purposes, and requesting such to meet at the house of E. B. Dean, on the eighteenth of that month, to perfect the organization for the Society, and adopt practical measures. This was signed by Isaac Romane, E. B. Dean and James Ferguson as committee.
December 1, 1858, the editor discusses the want of success among the clergymen in arousing a religious feeling in the community, notwithstanding their zealous labors, and closes with an opinion that would do honor to Jack Bunsby, as follows :
"The clergy and laymen here have been worked too hard in the
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HISTORY OF STORY COUNTY, IOWA.
"church belligerent," and not hard enough in the "church militant." Is this not so?"
This may refer to some forensic contests about that time, between the various ministers, of which one was between Rev. Richard Swearengen of the M. E. Church, and an Elder Holland, a min- ister of the Campbellite Church.
In March, 1859, Rev. L. Hay returns thanks for a donation. He had for some time been preaching for the Cumberland Presby- terians.
Prior to this time, probably as early as 1854, Rev. I. H. Rees, who lived then on or near to what is now Black's addition to Ames, preached occasionally in Nevada. He was of the Baptist church.
Among the early preachers of the county the Rev. Job Garberson occupied a conspicuous position. He was a very plain farmer, who lived near Bloomington, and preached at various points, giving very original views of the scriptures, and the plan of salvation ac- cording to the Baptist persuasion. Many went to hear him in the spirit in which they would have attended a place of amusement of much less serious character. The Rev. X. A. Welton of the Epis- copal church, who labored at Iowa Center and Nevada, had some peculiarties that also attracted attention. His views on the sub- ject of slavery were esteemed radical even in those days. He held a public discussion at Iowa Center in which he took the affirmative of the proposition, that Negro slavery is a Divine Institution and has the sanction of the Bible. My recollection is that Rev. Joseph Cadwalladar sustained the negative.
Various other preachers held forth in the early days, in different parts of the county. The school house near John H. Keigley's must have been a popular place for these itinerants, as frequent mention is made of appointments at that place.
Church services of an interesting and instructive character were not very common in those days, and all being eager to enjoy church privileges an opportunity was offered to all sorts and conditions of preachers to hold forth as pleased themselves. At times the con- gregation would be delighted by an able discourse, and again either annoyed or disgusted by that of another character.
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.
Several Irish Catholic families settled in the county as early as 1853-4-5, among whom were Thomas Fitzgerald, Thomas Monahon, John Conahan, Owen O'Neil, Daniel Doyle, Daniel Mugan, John Connelly, Richard Hopkins, John Guthrie and perhaps others. Though scattered abroad they kept the faith. They were occasion- ally visited by their priests, and in time large accession to their number were had, mainly from 1863 to 1865, from which time they had more frequent ministerial visits, and the customary rites of the church began to be regularly observed.
Among the early pastors were Rev. Father Brigil and his assis- tant, and Rev. Father Delaney. It was in Father Delaney's time that they built a neat and commodious church edifice at Nevada, in
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HISTORY OF STORY COUNTY, IOWA.
the year 1870. The church is reported as prospering, and will soon be quite strong if its present healthy growth continues. The pres- ent pastor is the much esteemed Rev. Father Mc Vrey, of Boone, though the church will soon sustain a resident pastor. It is probable that a church will also be built at Colo before long, as many Cath- olics live in that part of the county.
Besides those already mentioned, there are many other churches, some of which have houses of worship, and some that have not. There are Christian churches at Ontario, and near Bloomington; Evangelist church at Iowa Center and Colo; fine Congregational and and Baptist churches at Ames; a church of United Brethren at Palestine; a church of Adventists at Nevada and Iowa Center; the New Light church of which Rev. W. B. Hand was the preacher more than twenty years ago near Iowa Center, is said to be still in existence, though without a house of worship; there are Dunkards, Winebrenarians, Spritualists, Universalists, and probably other sects, of which no information has been given me and of which I have but little knowledge.
THE MASONIC ORDER.
The first lodge of Free Masons was organized under dispensation dated January 15, 1857, a charter being granted in June follow- ing, of which John Scott, Ed. Schoonover. T. B. Kelly, Jas. Haw- thorne, W. H. Richardson, Chas. Schoonover, H. F. Murphy, Wm. McGuire, B. J. Dunning, and T. E. Alderman were the members. It was opened in the Nevada Hall, this being the second story of T. J. Adamson's old " New York Store," then standing just east of the northeast corner of the South Square. It continued to occupy that hall until the present lodge room was built in 1868, the old building having meantime been removed to its present site, a few feet south of the Presbyterian church. The order has had a reason- able share of prosperity; Nevada Lodge No. 99 still flourishes, while the lodges at Ames and Colo have since been organized, partly from its membership, and all are in a healthy condition.
Columbia Lodge, No. 292, at Colo, was granted a dispensation June 30, 1870, and the charter was granted by the Grand Lodge, June 8, 1871. The returns for 1875 show a membership of thirty- two, and the lodge is said to be in a healthy condition.
Arcadia Lodge, No. 249, at Ames, was granted a dispensation on the fifteenth day of October, 1868, of which M. J. Bundy, was Master W. D. Lucas was Senior Warden, and L. Q. Hoggatt was Junior Warden, with sixteen others. A charter was granted at the meet- ing of the Grand Lodge in June, 1869. At that time the lodge reputed a membership of twenty-two Master Masons. The returns for the year 1875, show a membership of thirty-two.
THE ODD FELLOWS.
Central Iowa Lodge, No. 104, I. O. O. F., was organized June 20, 1857. The charter members were Lyman Wilkinson, B. J. Dunning, S. S. Webb, J. S. Blickensderfer and Sanı S. Statler.
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HISTORY OF STORY COUNTY, IOWA.
Meetings were held in Adamson's Hall during the first year, then in a small room over J. H. Talbott's store for about a year, then in a small room in the building known as "Alderman's Block," for about a year, and then went back to the Adamson's Hall. Up to the commencement of the war of the rebellion, the order was in a prosperous condition. When the call was made for men to sup- press the rebellion, a great majority of the members responded to the call, and during the war Central Iowa Lodge went down.
During the spring of 1867, it was resuscitated and its real life again commenced. The lodge continued to meet in Adamson's Hall until the spring of 1868 when it united with the Masonic fra- ternity, and the two orders built and paid for a hall over the store rooms of Statler, Ferner & Stephens, on Linn street, since which time the order has met in its own hall every Tuesday evening. The Hall is comfortably furnished and compares favorably with lodge rooms elsewhere.
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