USA > Iowa > Buchanan County > History of Buchanan County, Iowa, and its people, Volume I > Part 63
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The Main Street road was widened on the south side and graded to make the descent to the lower level less abrupt. Another project to relieve the pressure of travel by teams on the main road, was by consent of a highway, forty rods north of the main road and commencing at the railroad, thence west, through W. D. Ham's land, the right of way of which Mr. Williams had purchased, and up to the southwest corner of the W. E. Rosemond ten acres, now owned by Led- yard Freeman; thence north, 40 rods; thenee west, past the Walker place and Bon Air farm, now owned by J. L. Cilley, to the road running southwest of Mr. Mill's residence, by which it again joins the main road. This road was in line with the street upon which the waterworks was located, and practically made a new street, from the river, to the northwest corner of Rush Park, and was a favorite route of those who wished to avoid the street car and the crowd.
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Mr. Williams purchased a 100-horsepower, high-speed steam engine, to run the dynamos for the electric railway and power plant, and three sixty-horse- power, steel boilers, each fourteen feet long, and which were placed in the build- ing on the alley, in the rear of the Gedney Hotel, and provided with a brick chimney stack seventy-five feet high.
In the spring of 1892, Mr. C. W. Williams decided to build in the City of Independence an electric trolley system. The city granted him a franchise within the city limits. The route was proposed to be from the Illinois Central Depot, down Chatham Street, along Main Street across the bridge, and westerly nearly to the residence of J. L. Weeks, and then southward, to the hospital for the insane. Inside the city limits, the road was to be laid in the middle of the street, and outside of the city, the track was to be laid at the side of the road ; a single track all the way, without switches.
The cost of putting the project into operation was figured at $40,000. The power plant was to be situated in the rear of the Gedney Hotel, and these build- ings were to be heated by the exhaust steam from the boilers. It was thought to put the line into operation by July 4, 1892.
A special meeting of the city council was held on April 14th to consider Mr. Williams' proposition. The latter declared himself ready to build, equip and operate a street railway in this city, and desired the passage of an ordinance which the city might agree upon.
At their meeting the next Monday evening, the council presented the ordi- nance, which was satisfactory to Mr. Williams. A citizens' meeting was also held, in which thanks were extended to Mr. Williams for his interest.
Work on the new street railway began on Monday, May 16, 1892, and the first load of ties was distributed at the end of Chatham Street, and a force of about twenty men began shovelling dirt at that point. The ties came from Wis- consin, and other supplies were brought in from day to day. By September the line was in full operation, following the route first planned. It was run by the electric trolley system with three cars.
In the winter of 1905 the Gedney Company decided to cut out the street car line-it not proving profitable. After that it was run only periodically, and when the question of paving from the Central to the Rock Island Depot came up in 1906 the controversy as to who should pay the price proved a vital issue, and one that finally lost Independence, their first, last and only street car unless the town has another boom or the state conelndes to build a line to the hospital. In 1905 when the first paving was put in on Main Street, the street car company stood its share of the expense, but with the extended paving they felt the business done by the company did not warrant them this extra expense. The company agreed to maintain the line if the city or the resident owners would pay for the paving which they would have to build (between the rails and a foot on either side) but this they would not do. The state was appealed to, on account of its convenienee to the insane hospital, but to no avail and the traek was finally taken up and all that remains of our once glorified past is a few pleasant memories and evidences that time has not yet obliterated or crumbled to decay. The dilapidated remains of the old street cars, some five or six in number, skeletons of their former pride and glory now grace the east bank of the river, in close proximity to some old barns and
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sheds, in a state of utter disruption, and we would suggest that the Civic Improvement Society or some kind friend plant ivy over their dismantled carcasses.
An insurance company was incorporated in Independence, November 9, 1860, with an authorized capital of $1,000,000. Its membership included many of the most prominent citizens of the county. It flourished for several years and was largely patronized by the farmers, but the hard times and panics of war times finally sent the organization to the wall and many who had insured (for a period of years) suffered heavy losses.
At first it was considered a splendid, trustworthy institution and the county papers and the papers all over the state were loud in their praise of its liberality and fine management, but like many another equally as sound an institution, it could not withstand continual reverses. In 1869 it had $25,000 paid up capital. Actual capital was $100,000.
In 1869 an effort was made by Doctor Bryant to reorganize the Independ- ence Insurance Company, which organization was effected, but in 1870 the directors unanimously decided to retire from the business and transferred their business to the Lamar Company of Chicago. Doctor Bryant was the president and James Weart the secretary of the old company.
A few years prior to the year 1880, the farmers of Buchanan County were paying the old-line insurance companies too much for the protection received; therefore, in order to remedy this, after much thought and discussion, the plan of organizing mutual companies was adopted. The result of this agitation was the organization of two mutual companies in 1879, one under the name of Farmers Mutual Insurance Company; the other under the name of Patrons Mutual Insurance Company. In the latter company only members of the order of the Patrons of Husbandry could become members.
Both companies did a large and prosperous business and continued so to do until the year 1894, when the leading members of both companies came to the conclusion that inasmuch as both companies had the same object in view, namely, cheap and reliable insurance, it would be more profitable and also eliminate part of the expense if the two companies were united, and in pur- suance thereof each company named a committee to form a plan of consoli- dation, said committee being T. S. Cameron, N. M. Miguet, and Lyman J. Curtis of the Patrons, and A. P. Mills, H. F. Miller and Theodore Kirsch of the Farmers company, and after careful consideration of all questions involved, said committee submitted a plan, which was adopted by each company, whereby the two companies were united under the name of the Consolidated Patrons and Farmers Mutual Insurance Company of Buchanan County, Iowa, August 9, 1894, with Lyman J. Curtis, president; William Decker, secretary ; and R. B. Raines, treasurer.
The following have held the office of president: Mr. Curtis, Robert Elvidge, E. A. Chapman, C. E. Boyack and J. E. Brame. Mr. Brame was elected in 1908.
George M. Vincent was elected secretary in 1908 to succeed William Decker. Mr. Raines has held the office of treasurer continuously to the present time.
The articles of incorporation expired August 9, 1914, and were renewed for twenty years, or until August 9, 1934; the name of the company was changed to the Farmers Mutual Insurance Association of Buchanan County, Iowa.
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The company has certainly fulfilled the mission for which it was organized. It is now one of the largest and strongest mutual companies in the state, and now has over three and a half million dollars in risks.
1l. D. Kelley, late superintendent of the Vinton Canning Factory, eame to Independence in March, 1892, for the purpose of endeavoring to interest the business men in the projeet of establishing a similar enterprise here, but met with indifferent success and returned to Vinton discouraged, but upon due eon- sideration a company was immediately organized with a capital of $50,000 and a canning factory was erected, the superintendeney of which was offered to and accepted by Mr. Kelley.
The canning factory was built in 1894 at a cost of $8,000, but after a year or two of struggling existence it closed down and stood idle for a couple of seasons because there was not capital enough to run it and because it was found imprac- ticable to ean tomatoes in this section. It was sold at sheriff's sale. The machinery for canning tomatoes was removed and machinery for canning eorn was installed. Immediately npon the reorganization of the company the work of remodeling the plant began and $10,000 was spent on improvements.
The Independence Canning Company was reorganized in Independence, January, 1898. The following officers were elected : President, Jacob Wacker- barth ; vice-president, Thomas Edwards; secretary, J. E. Cook; treasurer, Thomas Blamer. Board of directors: Jacob Wackerbarth, Thomas Edwards, J. E. Cook, Thomas Blamer, Albert Leytze, George T. Blamer and Horaee Kelley. The capital stock of the company was $10,000. Mr. Kelley had the active management of the plant and was a practical man with wide experience in the details of the business.
The factory usually begins operations the last of August and continues for from four to six weeks and their output is from one million to one million five hundred thousand cans and generally their produet finds a ready market. During the season about one hundred people are employed. A silo, large husking eribs and the latest improved machinery have been added from time to time, which make of it one of the finest equipped in this part of the state. It is estimated that it costs twenty thousand dollars to operate the plant.
The Rush Park Seed Company, one of the largest seed depots in the West, was organized and incorporated in November, 1889, twenty-five years ago, and went into the seed business on a comparatively small scale, occupying one store building on Chatham Street, opposite the postoffice. The next year after or- ganizing, their business had increased to such an extent that they were com- pelled to greatly enlarge their facilities, then occupying the three floors of the building.
The incorporators were: M. L. Webster, C. W. Williams, and Thomas Blamer, but soon the stock passed into the hands of a different management- as follows: Dan S. Jones, president ; M. L. Webster, manager; and JJames O. Littlejohn, secretary and treasurer.
The growth and success of the Rush Park Seed Company was phenomenal and unprecedented in the history of the seed business and steadily increased with no special effort on the part of the management outside the good business man- agement and indomitable energy that characterizes the firm. While yet it was a young coneern, it did as much business as the best of its competitors, and in
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CANNING FACTORY, INDEPENDENCE
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faet, furnished nearly as many seed packets on a straight ont and out sale as all the others combined. This fact can be attributed solely to the fact that its method of doing business has met the approval of the business men to whom it has looked for support and also to the fact that its seeds have been of such high quality that the firm built up for itself such an enviable reputation.
Its 1896 catalogue comprised an edition of 8.000 copies-sixty pages fully illustrated while the 1895 edition was only a 6,000 20-page pamphlet. They employed a force of seven traveling salesmen, who covered a territory com- prising the seven or eight states surrounding Towa and many of the southern states. Twenty-four people were employed in the house. The company had about three thousand regular customers and put out about five thousand eases of packet seeds besides several carloads of loose seeds sold in bulk, some ship- ments of a carload to a customer. An average of 1,600,000 packages, 6.000 bu. peas, beans and corn. G tons of turnip seed, 3 tons onion seed. 3 tons beet seed, 2 tons pumpkin seed, 216 tons radish, 2 tons melon and squash, 1% tons cabbage and 11% tons cucumber seed. These are but sample figures and all other seeds run in proportionally large figures, and large quantities of field grains : timothy, elover. millet, bekwheat, etc., are also handled.
The Rush Park Seed Company received numerous very tempting offers from larger cities to remove their plant and business from Independence, and seri- ously contemplated accepting some offer ; however, as the homes of all the mem- bers of the company were here. they would forego the undoubted advantages offered elsewhere, if the people of Independence would douate them a snitable building lot and exempt them from taxation for ten years. A motion was made at the council meeting that a resolution be adopted recommending the proposi- tion to the favorable consideration of the citizens. A council committee was appointed to act in connection with a citizens' committee. A diligent canvass was made, and the committees secured on a basis of the erection of an $3,000 or $10,000 building, subscriptions aggregating $850, which could be increased to $1,000 if necessary. The company wanted the Rookery site, 40 by 165 ft., but the exorbitant price asked placed it out of reach. H. E. Palmer offered to give the corner lot north of Joslin's store, five by ten rods, to the company, if they would build on it, and would sell the lot north for $500. The company finally ac- cepted a proposition of ten by ten rods and a bonus of $500 cash, with which they bought the lots north of those donated and began immediately to erect a $6,000 building. The Couneil did not exempt the company from taxes, but reduced the amount.
In July, 1897, the company's mammoth building was burned to the ground, a total loss amounting to $14.000, but the next day a temporary office was in readiness and business was resumed. A new building arose phoenix-like, and in a short time all effects of the conflagration were completely wiped out, and a larger, more complete, and convenient edifice was in its place.
The building is three stories high in addition to the basement and has a floor capacity of 23,520 square feet.
In May, 1897, M. L. Webster, who had been connected with the Rush Park Seed Company since its organization. sold his interest to D. S. Jones and JJ. O. Littlejohn and those gentlemen beeame equal partners in the establishment, and Mr. Webster started a seed business at the original location of the Rush Park
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Seed Company. For a number of years he operated a farm just south of Independence, where he raised a considerable amount of seeds. He later again became interested in the Rush Park Seed Company and is now the business manager of both concerns, which now operate branches in Waco, Texas. In September, 1914, he removed to Waco to look after those branches and left the Independence Seed House in charge of his son, Mr. Howard Webster.
People's lee Company was organized in November, 1904. The following officers were elected: President, J. N. Barr; vice president, C. W. Stites; secretary, George W. Cameron ; treasurer, Jay .Smith. The directors were J. N. Barr, C. W. Stites, George Cameron, A. Hageman, David Kaplan, J. B. Allen and Jay Smith. Over one hundred stockholders were seenred. The company purchased the Hayford residence property on the river bank in the Fourth Ward and commenced immediately to ereet a large icehouse thereon. The building is thirty-six by eighty feet long.
The People's lee Company was organized in opposition to the Independence lee Company, and for a time the two companies did business, but after a year or two the Independence Company got the control of the stoek of the People's lee Company and leased the property to the Independence lee Company, who now operate it, and the company has the distinction of being the one big trust in Independence.
In the summer of 1909 Sherman-Smith Gasoline Engine Company moved to Independence from Stanley and immediately began the erection of a new factory north of the Illinois Central tracks. They put up a large cement building 36 by 200 feet in dimension, and installed an equipment which would do effective service for the business they anticipated. Some sixteen or eighteen lathes and other machines were to be put in operation and a force of eighteen to twenty-five men are kept constantly busy and often as high as one hundred are employed. The company manufactured engines of all sizes, ranging from 11 | to 20 horsepower. The building was completed and ready for business in AAngust, 1909. Mr. II. E. Neteott was the architect and Mr. George Neteott seenred the building contract.
Their plant ineludes the mammoth machine room where there was installed the lathes, and a stoek room where the various parts of the complete engines are kept ready to be put together when needed, and an office, drafting room and painting room, and all other needed separate places in the main strneture. A separate building located immediately east of the factory is used as a car- penter shop and store room. The buildings are electric lighted and during the past season were kept in operation day and night, working ten-hour shifts.
A new engine adapted to pumping purposes was to be manufactured. Mr. J. W. Smith was the inventor of this new engine. The company had been manufacturing the gasoline engine at Stanley for the previous two years with much success. The heavy demand for the produet was such it was found necessary to seek larger quarters with greater equipment and a town where the railroad facilities were first class. For that reason negotiations were en- tered into and necessary arrangements were made for the removal of the plant to this city. Mr. Smith superintended the mechanical end of the establishment and Mr. Sherman the business department. Robert MeGivern was traveling
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salesman. All of these and other employees of the company removed to this city from Stanley.
The concern was re-organized, but did not prove a success and the plant was finally leased to the Enterprise Engine Company of Waterloo ..
Independence, at the present writing-November, 1914-is enjoying un- bounded prosperity, not of the frothy, bubbleburst and effervescing variety which it once endured, but a substantial, steady development, which is bound to continue. Not since the year 1892 has there been so much building and general improvement.
Something like fifty houses have been erected in the city during the past summer and all of them fine, up-to-date dwellings.
Houses for rent are at a premium and property was never valued so high. There are about twenty-four blocks of paving already in and more contem- plated, a fine municipal lighting and water works system, the very best of public schools, one of the finest and best equipped high schools in the state for the size of the city, with an enrollment exceeding many larger cities.
Main Street is one of the best kept and most attractive streets in the state- the store buildings are all of uniform style and up to date. The street is paved during its entire length, has wide cement walks, and in the business section five globe electroliers have been installed and brilliantly light the thorough- fare. Besides electric lighting, a splendid private gas plant is in operation. One of the finest blocks in the city is now in process of construction, called the Wise Bloek. This block is two stories high, about 83 feet wide, and 100 feet long. It will be occupied when finished by a new dry goods firm, a beauti- ful little moving picture theater, which is already in operation, a modern barber shop, and on the second floor by the Bulletin Journal office.
Independence has several factories in more or less flourishing condition, and all the merchants are prosperous.
And last, but by no means least, as indicative of the city's prosperity is the fact that three "movie" shows are doing a thriving business.
In 1891, Thomas Sherwood, eity assessor, received a letter from the eensus department asking for information concerning the number and value of build- ings in Independence. Mr. Sherwood gave considerable time and careful atten- tion to the work and his report shows some interesting items. He found 640 dwelling houses estimated at an average value of $1,000, making a total valua- tion of $640,000. That there were 169 business buildings valued at $1,060,000, making a total valuation of the buildings in Independence $1,700.000.
In the American Poultry Journal appeared an article written by I. K. Felch, a man whose judgment in poultry matters was respected in all parts of the United States. In speaking of the poultry exhibition held in Buchanan County in 1891. he said : "The word 'Independence' in the Horse World is synonymous with Axtell and Allerton and the price of the former was $105,000, a larger stand for the latter, but if we are to judge by the exhibitions in poul- try, the breeders in and about the town are losing nothing by the example set them by the horse breeders of that seetion. I am free to say, having judged their last two exhibits, that lowa is destined to rival other states for poultry stoeks." He said that he found at Independence some of the best pens of the finest breeds of certain kinds of chickens that he had ever judged. The sale
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of turkeys in the town was positively immense. It was said that $1,800 was paid out for turkeys one day during the fair, while a like sum is some days paid for eggs, they having one of the largest egg-packing establishments in the state.
The Register and Leader gave Independence a royal send off in an editorial in February, 1891. as follows: "It can be safely said that the American Trotter will be a successful and valuable newspaper to horsemen. Everything goes at Independence. The bustling young city is rushing at a two-minute gait. We will sustain the Register's prophecy that Independence will be a city of greater population and business than Dubuque. Independence worships the horse: Dubuque the saloon."
These items were just picked from columns of items elipped from other papers all over the country.
On February 22, 1905, the merchants of Independence organized for the purpose of promoting the business interests of the community. An enthusiastic meeting was held and the "Independence Mercantile Association" was the re- sult of the organization perfected on that occasion. The primary cause for the birth of the organization was the desire to establish a creamery in Independence for the benefit of the farmers as well as for the advantages to be derived by the citizens. A stock company for that object was organized.
The following list of officers were elected: President, R. G. Swan; vice president, W. M. Woodward ; treasurer, II. L. Frank. The executive committee comprised the officers augmented by A. J. Allen and C. L. Fiester.
COUNTY OFFICE BUILDING-COURTHOUSE AND COUNTY JAIL, INDEPENDENCE
CHAPTER XXV
THE CITY OF INDEPENDENCE
PUBLIC BUILDINGS-POSTOFFICE-FIRE COMPANIES-WATERWORKS-ELECTRIC LIGHTS-STREET PAVING-PARKS-THE STREETS RENAMED- MAYORS OF INDEPENDENCE
PUBLIC BUILDINGS
The first building used for a courthouse was a small wooden structure standing at the corner of Main and Court streets. This was in 1847. The small, dingy front room was used as the county elerk's office and courtroom while the back end was oceupied by Dr. Brewer, the first county clerk, and his family.
The first court was held in the log cabin of Rufus B. Clark. This cabin stood just north of where the Gedney now stands, in the middle of the street which was at one time called Mott Street. The second term of court was held in the store room of William Brazelton, then in a small building erected for a school house, and in various other places until the completion of the present courthouse in 1857, where it has since been held. This building cost about ten thousand dollars.
Later this building proved too small to hold all of the offices of the county officers and it was proposed to build another building. The first calaboose was a frame building loeated north of what is now the MeClernon Block on Main Street, just east of Walnut Street.
At one time the jail was situated in the basement under the Curtis livery barn, then later in the small wooden building baek of the eity fire department house on East Main Street used as a calaboosc and jail. In 1869, at the gen- eral eleetion a proposal to build a jail was submitted to the voters and carried by a majority of 1.405 for, to 264 against. In 1870 the present jail and sheriff's house was built at a cost of $18,828. The original arrangement of the jail had a row of cells at the north side, but jail deliveries were so fre- quent that in 1897 the cells were removed and a steel eage put in.
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