USA > Iowa > Jefferson County > History of Jefferson County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume I > Part 45
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A telephonic connection was installed in July, 1878, between the residence and office of W. W. Junkin. More curious than useful, probably, it was a sign of promise. In 1883, the Iowa Telephone and Telegraph Company of Davenport put in an exchange in Fairfield. There were few subscribers. The service was un- satisfactory. The rates were felt to be onerous. The telephone was then regarded as a nuisance. In 1897, the Jefferson County Telephone Company established a system. Moderate charges enabled many to subscribe which made it, in fact, a practical means of communication. Its lines spread out into the country and ex- tended to neighboring towns. The telephone was then found to be an advantage, for it saved time and steps in placing orders with grocer, in conveying messages and in calling the doctor, all quickly.
In 1878, Moses A. McCoid was elected representative to Congress from the First District of Iowa. He was continued in the office two more terms. Curiously, in 1880, the opposing candidates for the place were also residents of Fairfield.
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These were Daniel P. Stubbs, who stood for the greenback party, and W. B. Culbertson, who stood for the democratic party.
When James A. Garfield became President of the United States in 1881, he called to his cabinet as Secretary of the Interior, Samuel J. Kirkwood, one of Iowa's senators. Kirkwood thereupon resigned the senatorship and opened the way for some worthy aspirant to obtain this position of honor and preferment. James F. Wilson soon after made public his own candidacy for the next regular senatorial term. His announcement was received with favor throughout the state. His fitness in ability and experience, as man, lawyer and legislator, was acknowledged. When the caucus of the republican members of the General Assembly convened on January 10, 1882, Governor Gear, who also had sought the office, personally withdrew his name from consideration. Wilson was then nominated without opposition. The Legislature duly confirmed his nomination. In this relation he served the people of Iowa twelve years with distinction.
On the evening of February 22, 1858, at the courthouse, Charles Negus, in a lecture of some two hours' length, gave an historical account of the settlement and growth of Fairfield. On its conclusion, the old settlers present, who had come to Jefferson County before January 1, 1846, repaired to the Jefferson House and par- took of a "sumptuous feast" prepared by Landlord J. V. Myers. The registry of the company shows the dates of arrival: 1839, February 22, J. A. Gallaher ; 1840, November, B. B. Tuttle; 1841, March, Charles Negus; 1841, May, R. H. Van- dorin ; 1842, May, D. Mendenhall; 1842, October 5, George Craine; 1842, August, J. A. Cunningham; 1842, November 10, J. M. Slagle; 1842, November 13, Thomas D. Evans; 1843, January 1I, Anson Ford; 1843, April 23, C. W. Slagle and George Acheson ; 1843, November 13, J. E. Cumings ; 1843, November 20, T. W. Titus ; 1844, April 20, W. W. Junkin ; 1844, May 6, George Stever; 1844, July 5, A. H. Brown; 1844, October 28, Jesse Byrkit; 1844, November 4, S. H. Bradley ; 1845, May 1, William Myers; 1845, May 15, E. C. Hampson. After toasting and responding around the circle, they resolved to consider themselves "an Old Settlers' Club" and "to have a second festival one year from this time."
The "second festival" was a supper on February 22, 1859, at the National Hotel, then conducted by G. W. Honn. The registry shows these additions to the former list: 1838, February 12, J. M. McClelland ; 1842, October 10, E. R. Norvell; 1842, September, William Long; 1843, W. L. McLean; 1844, Mungo Ramsey ; 1845, March 30, I. D. Jones; 1845, May 20, W. K. Alexander; 1845, June 30, B. Henn; 1845, John Fore. An address by Charles Negus was sup- plemented by numerous toasts. Resolutions offered by Henn, providing "that the wives and widows of all old settlers be invited to join in the festivities of the occasion," and for a permanent organization and annual meetings, were adopted. They adjourned "to meet in this place one year from this evening."
For twenty years matters more urgent than recalling memories of the past demanded attention. On March 4, 1879, the Old Settlers' Association of Jeffer- son County was organized. All who resided in the county prior to January I, 1850, were eligible to membership. The officers were John W. DuBois, Sr., president ; W. S. Lynch and John Snook, vice presidents ; W. W. Junkin, secre- tary; and Charles David, treasurer. There were secretaries also for the town- ships: For Walnut, Amon Park; for Penn, Lafayette Coop; for Blackhawk, John Bell; for Polk, T. W. Gobble; for Locust Grove, D. M. Parrott; for Fair-
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field, W. K. Alexander; for Buchanan, W. D. Clapp; for Lockridge, F. O. Daniel- son ; for Round Prairie, W. B. Frame; for Cedar, F. T. Humphreys ; for Liberty, W. F. Dustin; and for Des Moines, Robert Black. The first reunion was held on October 9th in Slagle and Acheson's Grove, now Chautauqua Park. C. W. Slagle made the principal address. The celebration was an eminent success.
In recent years great crowds have attended these reunions, which have grown to be festal affairs. Innocent amusements and stunts to laugh at succeed one another throughout the day so that there are no dull moments. The emphasis is placed, however, not on the work of the pioneers, but on the successful labors of their descendants. The chief feature is a parade in which business interests, mer- cantile interests, manufacturing interests and educational interests are repre- sented. It is a panoramic view of important activities of the community.
On September 3, 1907, the Jefferson County Old Settlers' Park Association was incorporated. It was designed to promote social reunions, the interchange of memories and the perpetuation of friendships, to preserve the Bonnifield Log House and other things of historical value, to maintain a park and to make it a home for plants, birds and animals native to Iowa. In January, 1908, ten acres adjoining Fairfield on the north were acquired for the park. In this, the Bon- nifield Log House was reerected. The place is often used for social gatherings.
In February or March, 1885, a small group of farmers began meeting on Saturday afternoons at the courthouse to interchange ideas on matters relating to agricultural pursuits. They styled the gathering the "Farmers' Club," though attendance was the only formality of membership. The first officers were: J. A. Ireland, president, and Jacob Funck, secretary. Besides these two, there attended and participated in free and easy discussions, at one time or another, Waltus Collins, Ed Campbell, Jr., John Ross, Ward Lamson, Edward Davies, John Williamson, John W. DuBois, George Heaton, E. A. Norvell, Alexander Arm- strong, J. H. Wright, John B. Horn, C. N. Brown, A. Stoner, George Cochran, James F. Wilson, John Marcy, W. E. Groff, C. W. Gage, F. T. Humphreys, J. A. Hysham, J. S. Noble, M. Hollister, F. Sackett, J. T. Hodson, J. G. Burkhart, J. W. Quillen, Hiram Heaton, L. J. Marcy, and H. D. Blough. For fifteen years they continued to assemble. The subjects with which they concerned themselves, although usually of a technical nature, as "Raising of Horses," "Diseases of Cattle," "Cultivation of Corn," "Hay Making," "Protection and Growth of Orchards," "Fertilizing the Soil," "Rotation of Crops," and "Intensive Farming," also embodied issues of local, state and national interest. Illustrative of the latter class and indicative of some general thought at a particular period were the following topics: In 1885, "Leasing of Public Lands and the Establishment of a Cattle Trail," "Evils of Railroad Transportation and the Remedy," and "Improvement of the County Fair"; in 1886, "Butterine," "Appointment of a Dairy Commissioner," "Reduction of Taxation," "The Proper Basis Upon Which to Estimate the Value of Labor," and "How Make Farming Attractive to Boys"; in 1887, "Encouragement of Manufacturing"; in 1888, "Schools": in 1889. "The Twine Binder Trust"; in 1890, "Free School Books" and "The Eight-Hour Day"; in 1893, "Teaching Political Economy" and "Good Roads"; in 1894, "The New Scheme of Taxation"; in 1896, "Leaving the Farm for Town"; in 1897, "Protection of Birds," "Torrens System of Transferring Land," and "Postal Savings Banks"; and in 1899, "Territorial Expansion." Some of these questions
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have dropped from sight, some have been solved, some are in process of solu- tion, and some are merely academic.
In February, 1898, through the influence and effort of this club, the first "Farmers' Institute" was held in Fairfield. In December, the Farmers' Institute Association of Jefferson County was organized. Its purpose was "to teach better methods of farming, stock raising, fruit culture, domestic economy, and every- thing pertaining to farming, and to promote the moral, intellectual, social and material welfare of the community." Its officers were: J. A. Ireland, president; John Ross, vice president ; Jacob Funck, secretary ; E. R. Norvell, assistant secre- tary ; C. W. Gage, treasurer; and George Heaton, J. P. Manatrey and Eli Kelly, the executive committee. Soon after this the "Farmers' Club" ceased to exist. It gave way to a successor, which, though confining its labors to a few days' session annually, is more effective in its work because it is carried on sys- tematically.
The announcement in January, 1892, that Andrew Carnegie had generously consented to provide a home for the accumulated books and treasures of the Jefferson County Library Association came to the people of Fairfield as a happy surprise. James F. Wilson, to whose intercessions this promise was mainly due, a few days later donated a suitable site. A public banquet to him on February 25th expressed the popular acknowledgement and appreciation of the gifts. A contract for the erection of the building proper was let in May to C. Stafford of Kansas City, Missouri. On March 29, 1893, this work was accepted. On Sep- tember 29th, with the books on the shelves and the museum in order, Library Hall was opened. There were congratulatory speeches by James F. Wilson and Ward Lamson, to whom the event was the realization and fulfillment of hopes long cherished, and by Prof. Richard A. Harkness and Dr. Ambrose C. Smith, to whom it was the concretion and the harbinger of intellectual and moral growth.
There was abundant reason to rejoice. The association was in possession of a handsome fireproof structure in a choice location on which had been expended $3,500 by James F. Wilson, $40,000 by Andrew Carnegie, $107.80 by John S. Dole, and $2,000 by James H. Hampson. It had received as endowments $1,000 from Ward Lamson and $700 from Mrs. Christian W. Slagle. A grand piano from Mrs. Rachel Hampson stood on the stage in the audience room. A portrait of Andrew Carnegie from H. C. Frick hung upon the wall. Dr. J. M. Shaffer's unrivalled collection of mounted specimens of birds and mammals native to Iowa, graciously presented, could but recall notable acquisitions of earlier dates, as the Indian curios gathered by W. W. Junkin, the Roman antiquities and the relics of the ancient lakedwellers sent from Italy and Switzerland by Maj. S. H. M. Byers, and the valuable American archeological remains purchased from Samuel B. Evans.
Dedicatory exercises were held on November 28th with James F. Wilson, president of the association, in charge. A sonnet composed for the occasion was recited by its author, Hiram Heaton. Ward Lamson read an historical paper recounting the origin, trials and progress of the institution. Miss Alice L. Heald, in an exceptional address, praised the usefulness of learning.
Good fortune, it was learned brings care. Expenses increased. The problem of maintenance grew serious. Commenting upon a report of its finances, W. H. Johnson of the Iowa State Library Association in an article published in The
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Capital of Des Moines in February, 1897, pertinently asked in substance, "What is to hinder the City of Fairfield voting aid to its library and providing funds for its support and for the purchase of books?" Whether this was the source of the suggestion or not, the propriety of action in this direction was considered at the annual meeting of the stockholders of the association on January 21, 1898, and a committee was named to investigate its feasibility. A favorable report brought on a series of earnest discussions. A tentative plan for the transfer of the property to the city elicited the fact that to do so legally it was necessary first to amend the articles of incorporation. The matter was then dropped until the next annual meeting, when, on January 13, 1899, an amendment was adopted authoriz- ing the president and secretary, under certain restrictions, to deed the real and per- sonal holdings of the association to the City of Fairfield. A definite offer, setting forth the obligations to be assumed, was submitted to the city council. This body, judging it acceptable, instructed the mayor, A. W. Jacques, to embody its sub- mission on March 27th to the electors in his proclamation announcing the regular election. This was the first opportunity afforded the women of Fairfield of legal age to cast a real and authoritative ballot on a measure of government. They responded by casting 509 affirmative votes and but 20 negative votes, while the men cast 478 affirmative votes and 127 negative votes. The combined majority of 840 votes clearly attested the general desire.
In June, Mayor Joseph Ricksher appointed as trustees to carry this decision into effect, Ward Lamson, Rollin J. Wilson, Mrs. J. S. McKemey, Mrs. R. B. Louden, Mrs. W. C. Ball, C. M. McElroy, W. G. Ross, C. J. Fulton and A. W. Jacques. The trustees organized by electing Ward Lamson president, Rollin J. Wilson vice president, C. J. Fulton secretary, and Mrs. J. S. McKemey treasurer. They chose for librarian, H. M. Dysart, and for assistant librarian, Mrs. Clara B. Howlett. On January 1, 1900, they took control in trust of all property of the Jefferson County Library Association, which has been administered since as the Fairfield Free Public Library. The change proved beneficial. The wisdom of it remains unquestioned.
Repeated reports of Spanish misrule in Cuba so shocked American ideas of liberty and government that Anthony W. Jacques, in his official capacity of mayor of Fairfield, requested patriotic citizens to meet on the evening of October 24, 1895, at the hall of George Strong Post, No. 19, G. A. R., to ex- press their sympathy with the Cuban people. Charles D. Leggett and William G. Ross reviewed their history and the tyrannous conduct of their rulers. A reso- lution proposed by Perry King, favoring the recognition of the Cubans as belligerents, was adopted. This incident was symtomatic. It was one of the lit- tle clouds heralding a gathering storm. It was a sign and an expression of the stirring of the moral sense of the nation that was finally reflected in Con- gress. That body in March, 1896, directed President Cleveland to offer the friendly offices of the United States to the Spanish Government to aid in bring- ing about the pacification of Cuba. The overtures led to no solution of the problem. Conditions in the unhappy island steadily grew worse. On February 15, 1898, the Maine at anchor in the harbor of Havana was destroyed by an explosion. This event extinguished the lingering hope that intervention by the United States could be avoided. On April 19th, an ultimatum was communicated
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to the Spanish minister at Washington; on the 21st, diplomatic relations were severed at Madrid. The conflict with Spain was on.
Prior to the resort to arms, the Legislature of Iowa appropriated $500,000 to be used in case of war. In anticipation of a call for volunteers, the National Guard was instructed to increase its strength. Company M of the Second Regi- ment belonged to Fairfield. This military organization, which had been mus- tered into the militia on December 18, 1895, had been formed and developed by Wilson G. Heaton. On April 22d, it was directed to be ready to move at a moment's notice. A formal farewell to its members took place on the evening of the 25th at the opera house. Delay in the arrangement for their transporta- tion permitted a dinner to be served them next day at the Leggett House. The air was charged with excitement. Schools were dismissed and places of busi- ness closed. The hour for leaving, longed for and dreaded, struck at last. Then veterans of the Civil war escorted them from the armory to the park. After listening to a short address of admonition and encouragement by Mayor Anthony W. Jacques, amid well-wishes and cheers, they departed by train for Camp Mc- Kinley at Des Moines. On May 17th, they were mustered into the service of the United States by Capt. J. A. Olmsted of the regular army as Company M of the Fiftieth Iowa Infantry. Their officers were Wilson G. Heaton, captain; Hugh C. Stevenson, first lieutenant, and Wilson Reed, second lieutenant.
At this time the ranks were composed of George W. Adkins, Thomas Alter, Claude B. Ankrom, William J. Ankrom, George A. Axline, William S. Blair, Oliver W. Boatman, James H. Buchanan, Charles C. Cummings, William F. Dahms, Samuel L. Dana, Jacob E. Davis, Adrian W. Fairchild, James S. Gaumer, George Gibson, Roy Gibson, David Ginkens, Walter R. Harlan, Alfred S. Heaton, Theodore Hochuly, George V. Jenkins, Peter J. Johnson, Albert H. Jordan, Abraham Kann, Winfred B. Kelley, Walter M. Kilpatrick, Wirt B. King, Frank Krumboltz, Edwin E. Lucas, William A. Lynch, William R. McGrew, Charles B. Magill, Roland H. Marsh, Joseph Matson, Charles B. Mullenix, Charles H. Murphy, Edward E. Neff, Zane Ogden, James E. Parsons, William Price, Albert S. Rider, John H. Riggle, Ralph Rogers, Albert M. Sargent, Loarn Sargent, Gus V. Scott, Robert F. Shelton, Andrew M. Smith, Samuel K. Smith, Milt Stephen- son, James L. Stevens, Thomas H. Stewart, David M. Stout, Henry Swanson, James E. Turner, Charles Van Nostrand, Francis Walker, William E. White, Morris Wilhermsdorfer, George C. Woods, Ira A. Workman and Charles S. Youmans.
Later enlistments added Samuel E. Axline, William A. Baker, Henry C. Bales, John E. Bandy, Frank Bennett, William Bidwell, Frank Carpenter, Melvin H. Corey, Herbert Donaldson, James H. Fligg, Charles A. Goodall, Hans C. Hansen, Peter Hansen, Thomas Hedge, Jr., Samuel Heggum, Nathaniel Heizer, William J. Hiatt, H. Hovey Hootman, Robert L. Houston, William Howard, Charles Howisey, John Jaeger, Frank B. Jones, Ezra Keller, Sylvester W. Kelley, Charm King, Paul E. Kretchmar, Andrew M. Kromer, Fred Lacey, John A. Matson, Talbott D. Morris, William Morris, Lin I. Noble, Ernest P. Parsons, Joseph R. Peters, James G. Pickett, Harry Reid, Clarence E. Ristine, Raymond H. Robb, Charles M. Robinson, James J. Ryan, Walter M. Shaeffer, Albert S. Smith and Frank A. Walker.
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On May 21st, the Fiftieth Iowa Infantry was ordered to move by rail to Tampa, Florida. While on the way, its destination was changed to Jacksonville, where it arrived on the 24th and pitched its tents in Camp Cuba Libre. The ground where this was situated was found, when the rainy season came on in the fall, to be low, undrained and unhealthy. Much sickness appeared among the troops. Governor Shaw, in consequence, felt obliged to inspect the sanitary conditions. The death of Charles Van Nostrand on August 17th of typhoid fever and alarming rumors of other serious cases led to the holding of a mass meeting at Fairfield on the 29th and the voting of a request to the Government to send the regiment to some northern point to recuperate. The need to employ it or to hold it for emergencies having passed, it was returned to Iowa. On September 17th, it reached Camp Mckinley. After a small number were detailed to care for the sick and guard the property, the rest, both officers and men, were given furloughs. On the 21st, when the members of Company M were welcomed home, the build- ings about the square were decorated with bunting and flags, a reception with music, songs and speeches was held in the park, and a dinner for them was spread in Columbia Hall. They reported again at Camp Mckinley on November 2d, and on the 30th were mustered out. They had not the fortune to prove their courage on the field of battle, but they did show, in the trying routine duties of army life, the will and the heart that make it up.
Three well known young men of Fairfield were privileged to participate in military activities on Cuban soil. These were Dr. James Frederick Clarke, sur- geon of the Forty-ninth Iowa Infantry, and Charles S. Crail and Joe S. Crail, both of whom were in the Twelfth Company, United States Signal Corps. Wilson G. Heaton, appointed first lieutenant of the Thirty-fourth United States Volun- teer Infantry on July 5, 1899, was sent to the Philippines and took part in the campaign against the insurgents.
, Lessons learned in the experiences of the Civil war were recalled and made use of. A Soldiers' Aid Society was instituted among the women with Mrs. J. A. Boatman as president, Mrs. H. F. Booker as vice president, and Mrs. R. B. Louden as secretary. A Jefferson County Soldiers' Relief Association was effected among the men with Jacob S. McKemey as president, H. H. Brighton as vice president, Charles M. Junkin as secretary and Frank Light as treasurer. The latter collected and disbursed $587.40 in transportation charges, the hire of nurses, and funeral expenses.
In November, 1899, two rural free mail delivery routes, one running out of Libertyville and one running out of Batavia, were recommended. In March, 1900, they were put in operation. In July, 1901, two routes leading out of Fair- field were established. These were the beginnings of a system which has helped to free the dwellers in the country from a sense of detachment and isolation and to put them in touch daily with the affairs of the world.
In 1902, Elmer A. Howard was elected mayor of Fairfield to institute a policy of street paving. The program decided upon and carried out included the streets forming the "square" and extending one block from it in each direction with the addition of South Main to the original boundary of the city, and of West Broadway and North Fourth to the freight depots. Improvement is destructive as well as constructive, it was discovered. The posts and chain around the park, where it was customary for horses and teams to be tied while their owners at-
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tended to business affairs, shopped and visited, were removed and not replaced. Some country people found fault. Some merchants complained of loss of trade. Prophecies of a long train of evils, in case the innovation was sustained, were extravagant. Opinion divided on the extent of the grievance and of the injury. The restoration of the hitching-place became the dominant issue in municipal politics. Candidates who favored the return of the old conditions were defeated. Officials, though assailed in turn with petitions and counter-petitions, firmly up- held the new order. To relieve a situation recognized as unfortunate, they encouraged the establishment of feed yards. Gradually an adjustment of the difficulty, practical at least, if not wholly satisfactory, evolved. The advent of the automobile also afforded much relief. Now that the park is a common meet- ing-place and social pleasure-ground, there are few to condemn the cause vic- torious.
In the spring of 1904, through the efforts of Rev. J. S. Tussey of Little York, Iowa, a promoter of the then rising Chautauquan movement, the Fairfield Chautauqua Association was organized. In its inception, the officers were C. J. Fulton, president; Rev. Thomas Osborne, vice president ; C. W. Wade, treasurer, and H. M. Miller, secretary. On June 30th, it was incorporated.
A suitable site for camping was difficult to find. Various places were con- sidered and one by one eliminated until only the "Fair Grounds" remained available. There, beginning June 29th and ending July 9th, was held the first assembly, a pleasurable course of instruction in which Bible study, music, lec- tures and entertainments were the features of attraction. The receipts were less than the expenses. In spite of this discouraging fact, the signs for the future of the venture were promising.
In 1905, a second trial was faced with confidence. In all respects, financially and otherwise, it was a pronounced success. It was clearly seen, however, that to continue on the "Fair Grounds," flat, swampy in wet weather, without shade and with few conveniences for the comfort of a crowd, meant the quick decay and probably the end of the enterprise. Longing eyes had often turned toward the magnificent "Slagle Grove." Negotiations finally ended in 1906 in a con- tract for this at $10,000 to be paid in several annual installments. For $100 the abandoned "Q" right of way adjoining was purchased, making in all about thir- ty-three acres acquired. To convert this tract into "Chautauqua Park," over one thousand, six hundred dollars were expended in arranging hitching quarters, pro- viding a supply of good water, installing a system of electric lighting, and in erect- ing minor buildings.
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