USA > Iowa > Butler County > History of Butler County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume I > Part 23
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CHRISTIAN CHURCH
The Christian church of Clarksville, organized in the late '80s, is an outgrowth of the church established at Antioch on the 5th day of July. 1857. At the time of the organization of the society at Antioch William Barnard. P. Barnard, James Hodgson, Eliza- beth Hodgson, Hannah P. Davis. Clement N. Burton, T. A.
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Taylor, Sarah Taylor, Mary Kinsley and Mary P. Burton became members. Many of these people moved to town. To these names were added during the first year the following : John Kimmins, Cynthia Kimmins, Francis Pro- basco, Malinda Hodgson, Christopher Billhimer, Barbara Bill- himer, Mary Barnard, Lydia G. Barnard, Alex March, Charles S. Martin, Sammel March, Abram March, Eliza March, Thomas Honek, Elizabeth Houck, Sarah P. March, Rachel Burton, James M. Burton, Esther A. Taylor, John Farlow, Eliza- beth Brown, Mary H. Brown, James R. Taylor, George H. Bur- ton, Alfred Brown, William R. Taylor, Nancy M. Taylor, Mary Rothrock. The organizing minister was T. R. Hansberry, who remained in charge one year. For some time following the church was supplied and among those who occupied this pulpit may be mentioned John Kane. N. E. Corey and N. A. McConnell. J. W. Moore came in 1865 as the regular pastor and remained four and one-half years. Then U. H. Watson accepted a call and worked in his field until 1870; during this time he also attended the churches at Shell Rock. Coldwater and Finchford. The year 1870 found J. W. Moore again presiding over this charge. This time his pastorate extended up to 1881, with the exception of one year spent in the cause in Linn county. During the interval Doctor Hunt had charge. A church building in Clarksville became necessary in the course of time, so many of the members having moved to town, and in 1889 the present house of worship was completed and occupied. Since then the building has under- gone alteration and to the west end of it an additional room has been attached. In this building Rev. George Devol was the first to preach as resident pastor. The names of his successors fol- low : Reverends Hodkinson, Platt, Rich, Rama, Johnson, Adams, Hollett, Nicols, America Sea (now Mrs. Holzschuh) and the pres- ent minister, T. H. Smithers, who came in the fall of 1913. All these clergymen have administered to large congregations at this place. At one time the church was one of the strongest in the county, having at times from four hundred to five hundred mem- bers. Even now the membership is in the neighborhood of three hundred.
UNITED BRETHREN
The United Brethren church was organized at Clarksville in 1887 by H. M. Galer, Mrs. William Warner and others, and was
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the outgrowth of a society formed in the country, which held serv- ices in the Excelsior schoolhouse, six miles north of Clarksville. Some time after the church was organized here the society bought the old Christian Union church, a frame building, where the mem- bers, now numbering twenty-six, have since attended services. Rev. II. M. Galer was the first pastor and ended his ministra- tion in one year. The names of his successors follow : Reverends Branson, one year; Job Baskerville, one year; A. King, two years. The first year of Reverend King's ministrations is notable from the fact that during a series of revival meetings held in the church, forty-seven members were added to the rolls. M. A. Moffett followed Reverend King as pastor, who remained two years. Then came Reverends Benson, one year; S. T. Beatty, one year; S. E. Long, one year; Blackburn, one year: W. M. Bundy, two years; W. M. Stice, two years; Rev. Mrs. Talbott, six months; Rev. Mrs. Nudigate; Varse, six months; Jennings, one year; F. J. Zike, one and one-half years; W. M. Hutchins; and A. F. Polk, in the fall of 1913.
GERMAN LUTHERAN CHURCH
The data necessary to prepare a sketch of the Lutheran church could not be secured in time for preparation for this work. However, it is known that the members are of the best citizens in Clarksville and some years ago erected a handsome house of wor- ship. At this time there is no regular pastor and the spiritual needs are being ministered to by a clergyman of the faith from Waverly.
LYNWOOD CEMETERY
A beautiful burial spot is that of Lynwood cemetery, situate just over the line in Jackson township. The lots and drives are laid out on a plan consistent with uniformity and the grounds are kept up in a manner satisfactory to the community at large. This sacred, silent city was dedicated for cemetery purposes according to an ordinance made and provided by the town council, which is recorded in its archives. The first body to be interred here was that of Daniel, a son of Dr. A. F. Tichnor, April 3, 1878. Lyn -. wood cemetery covers a space of forty-three acres and was pur- chased of Louis Slimmer for the nominal sum of $1,000.
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PUBLIC LIBRARY
The library now patronized by the people of Clarksville came into existence in a small way many years ago and was taken over by the Library Association of Clarksville, organized in 1877. The first officials were: President, J. R. Jones; vice president, Mrs. C. M. Mitchell ; secretary, J. P. Reed; financial secretary, Mrs. E. A. Glenn; treasurer, Hettie Laus. At first the books were only accessible to members, who paid a certain initiation fee and annual dues. The institution is now conducted on a more liberal basis and maintains a large collection of standard and popular books. The patronage is gratifyingly large, which means that the people of Clarksville have inclinations for literary pabuhn that must be liberally served.
FRATERNAL ORDERS
Butler Lodge. No. 94. A. F. & A. M., was organized Jime 3, 1857, and is the oldest association of men in the county. The lodge has held together all these years and its history would make interesting reading if given in detail, as many of the prominent men of Clarksville have been initiated into the mysteries of its tenets and work. Names of the charter members and first offi- cials follow: A. J. Lewellen, W. M .; Thomas Clark. S. W .; Robert T. Criswell, J. W .: J. F. Newhard, Treas. ; John Palmer, Sec. ; G. W. Poisal, S. D .: J. R. Tavlor, J. D. ; A. Brown, steward ; A. G. Clark, tyler.
In the history of Butler county published in 1883 mention is made of an Order of the Eastern Star having been organized December 27, 1873. and gave the following initial officers: John Palmer, W. P .; Mrs. She R. Caswell, W. M .: Mrs. E. C. Newman, A. M .: Mrs. Margaret S. Butler, treasurer; Mrs. M. E. Burton, secretary; Mrs. M. S. Glenn conductress: Mrs. A. B. Jones, associate conductress; Mrs. L. E. Roberts, warden; E. A. Glenn, sentinel: Mrs. Anna A. Ilgenfritz, Adah; Mrs. M. J. Burress, Ruth; Mrs. True J. Neal. Esther: Mrs. Estha Baker, Martha; Mrs. Charlotte T. Baker, Electa. However, on the lodge room walls hangs a charter, which indicates that the chapter must have lapsed at a certain period and was compelled to secure a new charter in order to revive its activities. The new lodge is Clarksville Chapter, No.
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144, and was organized October 3, 1894, by Mrs. H. Newman, Mrs. Nellie Shaw, Mrs. Hattie Copeland, F. JJ. Carr, Mrs. G. W. DeGraw, Lydia A. Hickle, J. P. Martin, Rosa Rhoades, L. Schel- linger, E. E. Tennyson, Ada B. Warren; Messrs. A. Newman, H. E. Copeland, Clark Carr, G. W. DeGraw, Thomas J. Hickle, J. P. Martin, C. G. Schiellinger, J. W. Shaw, William Tennyson, Fred W. Warren.
Clarksville Lodge, No. 351, Independent Order of Odd Fellow- ship, was organized October 19, 1876, and is one of the strongest fraternal bodies in Butler county. The charter members were: J. P. Reed, Thomas Hunt. Charles Fiteh, Dan MeDonald, Albert Burtch, Peter Poisal and John Palmer. The first officers were: Charles Fitch, N. G .; Thomas Hunt, V. G .; J. P. Reed, P. S .; Albert Burtch, secretary ; John Palmer, treasurer; Peter Poisal, warden; Dan McDonald, conductor. The lodge is prosperous and has a membership of eighty. An auxiliary code, the Daughters of Rebekah, was organized in February, 1914, with thirty charter members.
Clarksville Camp, No. 1976, Modern Woodmen of America, was organized May 8, 1893, and at one time was one of the largest and most progressive fraternal bodies in Butler county. But dissensions have arisen, mainly caused by the policy of the grand lodge, and at this time the Modern Woodmen of America stand upon uncertain ground as an organization. Names of the char- ter members follow: Hugh A. Boyd, George H. Clark, Charles S. Ford, R. Poisal, Byron L. Poisal, Charles E. Phillips, Willis E. Riden, William C. Smith, Allen G. Smith, Cyrus S. Vance.
Some time in the '80s a post of the Grand Army of the Repub- lic was organized in Clarksville, with a healthy list of members. But death has thinned the ranks of the Civil war veterans until they now can barely muster a corporal's guard. Their number has dwindled away to that extent, that for some years past the post has ceased to meet as a body. The Woman's Relief Corps, however, meets regularly at stated intervals in the lodge room of the Masons, and its members are quite active in looking after the interests of the surviving members of the post.
Vol. 1-18
CHAPTER XXII COLDWATER TOWNSHIP AND TOWN OF GREENE
COLDWATER TOWNSHIP
Coldwater township is in the northern tier of townships in Butler county, bordering on Floyd county on the north. It is township 93 north, range 17 west, under the congressional survey.
It is drained by Coldwater creek, which flows through the township from west to east, and by the Shell Rock river, which crosses the extreme northeastern corner. Both Coldwater creek and Shell Rock river are bordered by timber and there are sev- eral other natural groves within the limits of the township.
Outcroppings of lime rock in the northern and eastern parts of the township give the soil a somewhat different character from that of other sections of the county. There is, however, prac- tically no waste land within its limits. Its farms are in a high state of cultivation and its production of crops is second to none.
From a scenic point of view the portion of the Shell Rock valley, which is included within the limits of Coldwater and Day- ton townships, is the most strikingly beautiful of any portion of the county. The river is in some places bordered by ledges of rock and heavily wooded bluffs, giving to .it a natural beauty that is unknown at other portions of its course where it flows through comparatively level prairie country. In the west- ern part of Coldwater township there is a range of hills, the highest point of which is called Mount Nebo. This rises rather abruptly above the surrounding country and although not the highest point in the county, is the most striking elevation of land within its borders. Tradition tells of the existence of a cave underneath Mount Nebo, of which a local writer has given a rather circumstantial description. The attempt to explore this cave is said to have been made in 1875. The account is as fol- lows :
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"This cave has been known for several years, and there are some legends connected with it. One is that it was once used as a place of habitation; another is that a mysterious well of great depth exists somewhere within its bounds. A few days ago a party went down to explore it, but all backed out but J. Dexter and Mr. Barker, whose curiosity was greater than their caution. The place of entrance was small, but they soon found rooms in which they could stand erect, and some from eight to twelve feet high. Passages from one room to another were usually small, some so small that the explorers found difficulty in passing from one to another. After visiting numerous rooms in search of the well and proceeding three or four hundred feet from the entrance, they returned without finding it. In several places there were supporting pillars, and along the walls resemblances to stalac- tites. The limits were not reached, and there is still room for adventurers to gratify their curiosity."
The only line of railroad penetrating Coldwater township is the Rock Island, which passes through the city of Greene, run- ning almost exactly diagonally through section 1 from southeast to northwest. The southern portion of the township is reached by rural mail routes from Bristow and Allison. For the rest of the township Greene is the only market and commercial outlet.
EARLY SETTLEMENT 1
For the accounts of the earliest settlements made in Coldwater township the historian is almost wholly dependent upon pure tradition. It is said that in the fall of 1852 two brothers-in-law named Lacon, or Laken, and Bennett settled on the banks of Coldwater creek, on section 13. Like many other nomadic pion- eers. these men remained in this location for only a year or so. All of them sold their claims to John Hardman and J. H. Miller and moved on to regions unknown.
In the spring of 1852 John Fox and his brother-in-law. Lum Coleston, located with their families in the vicinity of section 12. These claims were later sold to John M. Hart and John V. Boggs. John M. Hart was the first permanent settler of the townhip. locating on a farm in section 11, in 1853. On July 1st, 1854, Mr. Hart made the first entry of land in the township. On the same day John V. Boggs made an entry of land adjoining the farm of Mr. Hart which he held until January, 1856, when he sold it for
SCENE ON THE SHELL ROCK RIVER, GREENE
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what was then the remarkable price of $16 an acre. Mr. Boggs purchased a farm in Dayton township, upon which he resided for a number of years.
James Griffith came to this section of the county in 1852, set- tling on claims in section 13, Coldwater, and 18, of Dayton. His cabin, however, was built just across the township line in Dayton township, so he missed by a few rods the privilege of being accounted the first permanent settler of Coldwater township. Mr. Griffith was the first county school fund commissioner. His son, W. A. Griffith, was a well known newspaper man in the early his- tory of the county. The latter has given the following account of the Indian scare of 1854 in this section of the county :
INDIAN SCARE OF 1854
"One stormy night in the month of June, 1854, when the rain was pouring in torrents and the thunder shaking the very earth, James Griffith, in Coldwater township, was aroused by a cry of distress, warning himself and family to flee for their lives, as the cruel Sioux were rushing on toward him, massacreing and scalp- ing his neighbors as they advanced. William Choate, his inform- ant, told him that he had no time to lose or his scalp, with those of his family, would soon be dangling from the belt of the savage warrior. Mr. Griffith, having no team by which to save his fam- ily, concluded to take them to the cabin of John H. Miller, who. being absent from home that night, had left his folks in Mr. Grif- fith's charge. On getting to Mrs. Miller's he found his neighbors all gathered there, preparatory to fleeing the country; but Mr. Griffith, having two families on his hands, persuaded them to halt, and there those brave men decided to face death, defend their wives and little ones, and sell their lives as dearly as possible.
"They stood guard all night, hourly expecting to hear the hideons vells of the unmerciful demons and the breaking in upon them, until at length, after a night of deathly terror, the welcome dawn appeared, when, still as the silent grave, the men gathered their loved ones, ready to flee a country where every bush appeared to hide a lurking enemy, to a place of safety. John M. Hart, John V. Boggs and James Griffith decided to stand their ground and not run, but their neighbors told them if they wanted to expose themselves to certain death, they did not, and the greater part of the residents of Coldwater left-some of them.
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never stopping this side of the Mississippi line, and some of them, I fear, are running yet, for they never came back. In the morn- ing John H. Miller, having returned home in the meantime, and James Griffith determined to risk their lives, ascertain the dan- ger and sec to what extent the savages had devastated the country. They went up the river as far as 'Beelar's grove'-now Marble Rock-and found the citizens still in bed, unconscious of their danger; so they came back home and went down the river as far as 'Coon's grove'-now the village of Clarksville-for the pur- pose of organizing a band for self-protection, and just as they were about to return home M. M. Trumbull, now Colonel Tri- bull, of Dubuque, arrived from the frontier, greatly excited, and on being interrogated about the locality of the Indians he could not tell the exact locality, but that they were not far off. Some one asked, 'Are they at Rock grove?' His reply was, 'Nearer than that.' 'At Beelar's grove ?' 'Nearer than that!' 'At Cold- water ?' And his reply was, 'Gentlemen, I was on an Indian trail and saw their fires this side of there!' Horror! Think of our Coldwater friends! What agony arose in their breasts, to think that their homes were destroyed and all they held near and dear ernelly butchered or carried away captive. They accord- ingly mounted their horses and ran them home. When north of Flood creek they discovered the fires and marched straight to them; they proved to have been built by Mrs. Levi Burress and girls, who were washing on the banks of the Shell Rock river. They then came home and found everybody alive and well, which greatly relieved our heroes.
"The basis of the scare proved to be that a couple of Sioux and Winnebago Indians had got into a quarrel, which terminated in one of them being sent to the 'happy hunting grounds.' and the whites had no part whatever in the fight. Such was the great Indian scare of 1854."
OTHER EARLY SETTLERS
John H. Miller and Aaron Hardman, with their families, set- tled in the township in 1853. Mr. Miller's death in 1856 was one of the first in the township. William Choate, who is mentioned in the account of the Indian scare above, and David W. Miller were also settlers in the township about this time. Elias G. Mil- ler was another pioneer of this period. His name is mentioned among the soldier martyrs of the rebellion.
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Solomon Sturtz and Rev. Philip Moss came in the year 1855. The latter was a Baptist minister. A son of his, Capt. Aaron Moss, is noticed in the biographical volume of this work.
Felix Landis came with his family in 1856 and located on sec- tion 14. Following this date the land began to be taken up very rapidly. It is impossible to give in detail the names of all these settlers, but among the pioneers who helped settle this township and to whose efforts is due its present position may be mentioned the following: Joseph Miller, Samuel McRoberts, Emanuel Leidig, William Hesalroad and E. S. Tracy.
ELM SPRINGS
The first town platted in the township was laid out, surveyed and recorded just south of the present location of Greene. T. T. Rawson was the owner of this town site and it was called Elm Springs. A postoffice was established there under that name, at which point the residents of this section of the county received their mail until its location was changed to Greene.
OFFICIAL ORGANIZATION
The township takes its name from Coldwater creek which flows through it. It was one of the four original townships into which the county was divided in 1855, comprising at that time in addition to its present area the west half of Dayton. A warrant was issued on the 15th of February to Aaron Hardman to effect the organization of Coldwater township. The early official rec- ords of the township have been lost but it is fairly well estab- lished that at the first election held in April, 1855, at the house of John V. Boggs, on section 12, the following officers were elected : James Griffith, justice of the peace; A. Hardman and H. P. Balm, constables. Charles Wood was elected assessor but did not qualify. Coldwater township assumed its present limits in 1858 when Dayton township was organized on the east.
EDUCATIONAL
The records of the school township of Coldwater are more complete than those of many of the other townships of the county. so that it is possible to give somewhat in detail the educational
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history of the township. Originally the township consisted of & single school district. About 1854, through the influence of James Griffith, the township was divided into two school districts, No. 1 comprising the eastern half of Coldwater and a portion of Dayton, and No. 2, the western half of Coldwater. The first schoolhouse was erected in district No. 1 on section 13, and built of logs by the patrons of the district. The first school in the town- ship was taught in this building "as soon as it would hold water," by Edward Goheen. The attendance was about six. This log schoolhouse stood near the site of the present schoolhouse in said district No. 1. It was used for school purposes until the summer of 1865, when a frame building, 22x30 feet, was erected at a cost of $700.
In 1855 a log house was built for school purposes on section 8 to accommodate the pupils of district No. 2. The first school here was taught by Joseph Miller. In 1868 this was dispensed with and a frame building erected to take its place.
In 1866 a third district was created in the southeastern part of the township. About the same time district No. 4, including within its limits the town of Greene, was set off and a log school- house built. In 1871 a frame building, erected at a cost of $800, took the place of this log schoolhouse, and this continued to be used until 1873, when the independent school district of Greene was organized. The first teacher in district No. 3 was Miss Mary Clark, and in district No. 4, Rudolph Landis.
District No. 5 was established in 1870 and a schoolhouse erected on the southeast corner of section 3. This building continued to be used for school purposes until the erection of the present school- house which stands across the road from its former site. Miss Kate Ornhert taught the first school here.
District No. 6 was set off in 1874 and a schoolhouse built near the corner of section 22. Miss Ella Clark was the first teacher. The district now known as Mount Nebo district was first set off in 1877. A schoolhouse was erected in 1878 at a cost of $600. John Wilson was the first teacher at this school, with an attend- ance of nine scholars.
In 1880 district No. 7 was established. A schoolhouse was built at the northeast corner of section 33, in which Miss Sarah Williams taught the first school.
Since that date two additional districts have been set off and schoolhouses erected. The school building which stands at the
GATES BRIDGE, GREENE
SCENE ON MAIN STREET, GREENE Taken about 1904
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southwest corner of section 29 is located in one of these. The other is what is known as Clark school, in section 23. The dis- tricts have also been renumbered from 1 to 9, inclusive.
Coldwater township now has three comparatively modern rural school buildings and there is little doubt but that in the course of a very few years all of the older buildings will be replaced by more modern structures. The interests of the chil- dren in this township are well looked after by an efficient board of directors. The township is accounted one of the most pro- gressive of the county in all matters relating to the efficiency and welfare of the schools.
GENERAL ITEMS
The first recorded birth in Coldwater township was that of Margaret Hardman, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Hardman. This birth occurred in 1854.
The first wedding in the township was that of Frances J. Griffith to Martin Van Buren Wamsley. This was performed by County Judge Van Dorn on the 4th of September, 1856, at the residence of the bride's parents. Mr. Wamsley died in prison at Tyler, Texas, in 1864. Mrs. Wamsley later married Clark Carr, of Jackson township.
The first death in the township was that of John Hardman, Jr., who died of apoplexy in 1853, at the age of thirty years.
POPULATION
1856, 165; 1860, 264: 1863, 225; 1865, 240; 1867, 333; 1869, 376; 1870, 461; 1873, 796; 1875, 980: 1880, 1,325: 1890, 1,508; 1900, 1,967; 1910, 1,836.
VILLAGE OF GREENE
The present town of Greene stands upon land which was pur- chased in the summer of 1854 by John W. Miller, who died two vears thereafter. After securing the property, Miller put up a small log cabin, near a group of springs, which gushed out from the bases of elm trees. The diminutive habitation was thrown open to the traveler and "mine host" gave to the hostelry the name of "Home for Travelers." This was the first hotel in
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Greene. The pioneer was appointed postmaster of an office estab- lished under the name of "Elm Springs," the original name of Clarksville, and served the small community until his death, which occurred in 1856, both as postmaster and hotel keeper. Soon after Miller's death his land passed into the possession of Benjamin and J. E. Eikenberry, upon which Benjamin Eiken- berry erected a farm house on the site of which was erected some vears later the Ball hardware building. In the latter part of 1871, when the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Minnesota Railroad was completed through Greene, the proper authorities of the road purchased the interests of the Eikenberrys in one hundred and sixty acres of this land, which was laid out and platted into town lots by the railroad officials. The new trading point, in honor of Judge George Greene, of Dubuque, president of the road, was named Greene, and in September, 1871, the plat of Greene was filed with the recorder of the county for preservation. The rail- road company also secured a large traet of land on the west side of the river, anticipating that some day the town would grow in that direction.
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