USA > Iowa > Allamakee County > Past and present of Allamakee county, Iowa. A record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Vol. I > Part 25
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The business houses at Rossville now, spring of 1913, are as follows: F. E. Graham, feed mill and blacksmith shop; W. Ross Koontz, general merchandise ; Albertus Leas, pumps and implements ; Mrs. J. D. Woodmansee, millinery.
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St. Joseph's church and parsonage Methodist Episcopal church Main street, looking north
Bird's-eye view German-Lutheran church Publie school building
SCENES IN NEW ALBIN
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Maud-This is the name of a postoffice established some years ago on the line of the railroad, just within the east line of this township. The postmaster is H. H. Larson, who keeps a general merchandise store patronized by the sur- rounding country. This has been a way station on the Waukon branch for many years, at which passengers and freight are received and discharged for Ross- ville, about two and a half miles to the south. An attempt is now being made to induce the railroad company to put in a side-track and station building here, which will doubtless be successful.
CHURCHES
The Baptist church at Rossville was organized August 27, 1853, at the home of Elias Hatfield, with fifteen constituent members. The record fails to show who was the organizing elder present, but Rev. James Schofield was there in 1854. On September 10, 1853. J. T. Thorp and Elias Hatfield were elected the first delegates and took the first church letter to the Davenport Association. The first member received by letter was Nathaniel Mitchell, December 10. 1853. The first candidate for baptism was received and baptized March 12, 1854. In May of that year a committee was appointed to select a building lot, and in June trustees were elected to hold the property, consisting of a church lot and burying ground. In January, '55, steps were taken to raise $1,000 for the purpose of building a house of worship, 32x46x191/2 feet high. Not until 1862 was the house up and enclosed, and was used the following winter for a schoolhouse; and in 1865 it was finished off inside. In 1873 the church bought a house and lot of Rev. Hanna for a parsonage, but sold it again in '76. In '85 the church building was thoroughly repaired, replastered and painted and new windows put in. Further improvements were later made and the seating remodeled. In 1894, the church purchased a lot and erected a parsonage at a cost of about $1,000, and finished paying for same in 1901. It is now out of debt and has a house of worship and parsonage valued, with the lots, at $3.500.
The early career of this old church was vigorous and successful. In 1855 the Davenport Association was divided and the northern part become the Dubuque Association, when this church had a membership of thirty-four. Reverend Scho- field was their pastor, and remained until 1860, when the Turkey River Associa- tion was formed. Rev. John A. Pool came in 1861, and at the associational meet- ing in '62 there were reported in the entire association of fifteen churches seventy- three baptisms during the past year, of which twenty-seven were at Rossville under Reverend Pool's ministry. We have no record of consecutive pastors, but it is recorded that in 1865, Rev. C. D. Farnsworth was pastor at Rossville and Waukon. Rev. E. P. Dye was at Rossville in 1874, and the record shows an accession of sixty-five members by baptism that year; but two years later the associational minutes show there had been somewhat of a reaction.
In 1879, Rev. J. M. Wedgwood became pastor, remaining for three years, and was a supply from time to time during later years. Rev. W. L. Wolfe was here in 1894-5, followed by E. Bodenham for two or three years; C. B. Carey '99; J. A. Lovelace, 1901-2; S. D. Holden, 1904-5; C. H. Stull and H. P. Lang- ridge supplied from Waukon : C. W. C. Ericson. 1908-9; W. R. Bailey, 1910-1I. The church has since been without a pastor. The church clerks since 1881 have
4
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been N. Mitchell, T. B. Wiley. L. C. Brace. C. Denning. and for the past seven- teen years, A. F. Wheeler.
It is fitting here to make further mention of the first pastor of this church. Rev. James Schofield, and his distinguished son, Gen. John M. Schofield. The latter was born in New York in 1831, and graduated from West Point, the U. S. Military academy, in 1853, where he was made a professor in 1855. When the Civil war broke out he was made major of the First Missouri Volunteers, and was on General Lyons' staff when the latter was killed at Wilson's creek. He was in command in Missouri until assigned to the command of the Army of the Ohio. He shared in Sherman's campaign until the taking of Atlanta, when he returned to Tennessee, defeating Hood at Franklin, and was with General Thomas at the battle of Nashville. Early in 1865 he took Wilmington, N. C., and united his force with Sherman. lle was later sent on a special mission to France. In 1868-9 he was secretary of war, and then major general and depart- ment commander. In 1876-81 he was superintendent at West Point ; and upon the death of General Sheridan in 1888, he succeeded to the command of the United States Army. Previous to his retirement in 1895 he was, by act of Congress, made lieutenant general. His death occurred March 4, 1906.
Elder Schofield built a fine brick residence at Rossville, where his distin- guished son visited him at times, and both invested considerable in land in the vicinity. Reverend Schofield was pastor of the Waukon church in 1861, after which the writer has no record of him, except that he sold his Rossville property in 1866.
The Presbyterian church of Rossville was organized September 9. 1866, with a membership of eleven, namely, Andrew Henderson. Jane Henderson, Robert Crawford, Sarah Crawford, Caroline Emerson, S. L. Sergent, E. M. Sergent, Robert Henderson, Rebecca Jane Henderson. Martha Anne Henderson and William Henderson. Of these constituent members only the three last named are still living. The church building at that time was an old schoolhouse. Rev. J. Woodruff was the first minister, his ministry continuing from 1866 to 1870, when he was succeeded by Rev. John C. Hanna, who remained with the church until 1872.
For a brief interval the church was then without a pastor ; but in 1873, Rev. James Frothingham came and stayed till 1874. From this time the church was supplied by Rev. B. Hall, the Waukon minister, who preached here every two weeks, and this arrangement continued until 1887. Then ensued a period of some four years without preaching, when, in 1891, arrangements were made with Rev. R. L. Van Nice of Waukon, to preach every two weeks, as his pred- ecessor had done. In that year Mr. Van Nice held revival meetings, and eighteen persons were received into the church. This was the beginning of better days in the history of this church. In 1892 Rev. W. H. Ensign supplied the pulpit. from Volga City, and remained till 1893. During his ministry the church was incorporated. In the spring of 1894. Captain O'Brien held successful meetings ; and immediately following these services Rev. Z. F. Blakely became pastor, and an accession of twenty-seven persons was made to the membership.
At a meeting on May 21, 1894. it was decided to build a new church, which was completed in 1805. and the dedication took place on April 21st of that year. The cost of this building was $2,411.13. Rev. James C. Wilson became pastor
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at that time, and continued until 1897, when the work was carried on in connec- tion with Frankville, Reverend Phillips preaching every two weeks, until the spring of 1898, then Rev. T. Reeves preached during a summer vacation of three months. Reverend Baird preached for six months in the years 1898-99, coming from Frankville alternate Sundays. Reverend Reeves again served during the summer vacation of 1899. Reverend Gregg then came from Frankville once in two weeks, continuing this work until September, 1902. Reverend Simpson then became pastor of the church and stayed until June, 1904.
The church was again without preaching until April, 1907, when Rev. J. C. B. Peck became pastor until September. 1908, when Reverend Nickless began his ministry terminating in September. 1909. This date marks the beginning of Rev. L. Duckett's ministry in America, who was pastor until September, 1911. For three months during the summer of 1912, the church was supplied by Reverend Remtsma. student pastor, of McCormick seminary.
There is an old established lodge of the I. O. O. F. at Rossville ; also Camp No. 4828 of the M. W. A., organized in 1897, or '98; but further information as to these fraternal societies at Rossville is not at hand.
The earliest Masonic lodge in Allamakee county was chartered at Rossville, June 4, 1856, as Parvin Lodge No. 85, to L. B. Adams, T. H. Barnes, W. F. Ross, and nine others, but the charter was surrendered a few years later. The last report made to the Grand Lodge was for 1858, showing the following officers and members: L. B. Adams, W. M .; Dr. T. H. Barnes, S. W .; W. F. Ross, J. W .; Thos. Crawford, Treas .; J W Nottingham, Sec; R. K. Hall, S. D .; James C. Smith, J. D .: J. J. Pettit, Tyler. Members: Geo. W. Gray, G. W. Hays, Noah Maltbie, Geo. C. Shattuck, Dr. J. W. Singer, John T. Clark, John Brisco, David Skinner, J. Small, S. B. Clark, H. V. Colman, William Ward. These names show members living at Waukon and Lansing, and other parts of the county.
Jefferson township officers for 1913 are: Clerk, Henry Grangaard ; trustees, Simon Hansmeier, C. P. Mitchell, G. B. Ralston ; assessor, L. J. Larson ; justice of the peace, H. H. Larson ; constable, Wm. McGuire.
LAFAYETTE TOWNSHIP
At the March, 1852, term of the County court a commission was issued to L. W. Low to call an organizing election for this township, to be held at the house of Thos. B. Twiford on the first Monday in April following, but no record is found of the election. At this session also the boundaries were established, to include all of township 98, ranges 2, 3 and 4. Fractional section 34-99-3 was later set off to Lafayette from Lansing township. Center township was taken from this territory upon its organization in 1856.
VILLAGE CREEK
Is the name covering a combination of three town plats on section 18, the first of which called Milton, was laid out in 1854 by Jesse M. Rose, who had here built the first flouring mill in the county, the year before. In the spring of 1857, Mr. Rose platted another tract, lying to the east of Milton, and called it Village Creek, which was the name of the postoffice established here at that time. An
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effort was made to have it called Milton, but there was already a postoffice of that name in the state. Hon. L. E. Fellows, later in the Legislature and for many years judge of the District court until his death within the past year, was the first postmaster. In the fall of 1857 the third plat, called Howard Center, was laid out adjoining Milton on the north, Eldridge Howard, a Methodist minister, being the proprietor.
Village Creek was at one time quite a manufacturing center, several flouring mills having been operated there or in the vicinity, a woolen mill, and later, cream- eries. The Village Creek Woolen Mill was established by H. O. Dayton in 1865, the building being of stone, three and a half stories. It did a large business until destroyed by fire, October 28, 1868, involving a loss of $35,000, nothing but the bare walls being left. It was rebuilt and equipped with new machinery, but again it became the victim of the fire fiend, May 21, 1875. Within a year it was once more in operation, with new capital interested, under the proprietor- ship of Howard, Carrolls & Ratcliffe. But the stream, Village creek, being sub- ject to furious floods, from time to time took out their dam and otherwise caused much damage, and great loss of time and expense for repairs. In 1882 they were employing fifteen operatives. But the continued damages by flood, with a com- bination of other discouragements, finally caused the enterprise to be abandoned.
The Village Creek Flouring Mill has the generally admitted distinction of being the first mill in Allamakee county for the making of flour, and was estab- lished in 1853, in charge, it is believed, of a Mr. Valentine, an experienced miller. Peter A. Valentine soon after built another mill a short distance below, on the southeast quarter of southeast quarter section 7, in which Mr. Rose also became interested and later Mr. Edward Brownell. Job Valentine, his son, ran the mill. Peter A. Valentine was a Congregational preacher and removed to Wisconsin, where he built another mill, and preached for twenty years, at Mount Sterling. He was grandfather of Hon. E. H. Fourt of Waukon. This mill in after years became known as the Centennial Mill. Both of these mills changed hands sev- eral times, and both eventually became the property of A. C. Doehler, the well- known miller at Village Creek for many years. These mills are not now in operation.
Mr. Doehler keeps a general store here now, and there is but little else in a business way, aside from blacksmith and tinsmith. Mail is supplied from Lansing.
Among some extracts from old diaries of H. O. Dayton, submitted to us by his daughter, we find the following. On March 19, 1857, he says: "I finished up my survey of Village Creek." In April, that he has commenced work for Mr. Howard on a survey of his town lots in Milton, known as Howard's Addition. In May he writes as follows: "The town of Milton is coming up. A brick yard, stores. blacksmith shops, and three flour mills in complete operation, begin to let their works be shown." In October, 1857: "The town of Milton is growing very fast, no less than twenty houses have been constructed in the last nine months."
December 6, 1858. Mr. Dayton commenced teaching school in this flourishing little town. And again he taught here in the two next following winters. In November, 1860, Mr. Dayton and John Lamb were elected justices of the peace.
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On April 30, 1862, one of many disastrous floods visited the Village creek valley, destroying all bridges and flooding the low lands.
In the fall of 1864 Mr. Dayton organized a stock company for the purpose of erecting and putting into operation a woolen factory at Village Creek. On December 13, 1864, the first meeting of the shareholders was held and officers elected as follows: President, H. O. Dayton; secretary, A. Cavers ; treasurer, F. W. Wagner; and three directors, whose names are not given.
The following year Mr. Dayton visited the best woolen mills in operation in the East, and returning to Village Creek had constructed a large three and a half story stone building, the Village Creek Woolen Mills, which, fully equipped, cost not less than $20,000. Not until February 6, 1866, were the mills in opera- tion. On this date Mr. Dayton made this entry in his diary: "We did our first weaving to-day." The mills were visited daily by hosts of people, to whom such an enterprise in that comparatively new country seemed a marvelous thing. On April 2d of that year Village Creek had the misfortune to be again visited by a destructive flood, causing the factory dam to go out, washing away all bridges, and doing untold damage along the lowlands. By April 26th the damages to the mill had been repaired, and Mr. Dayton's entry for this date states, "We finished our first yard of cloth in the wool factory to-day, ready for sale."
In July, 1866, Mr. Dayton went East, and when he returned in September he brought home a help-meet, having married Miss Maria Aldrich, in New York state. They resided in Village Creek for a period of seven years, where Mr. Dayton continued to operate the woolen mills and in which he was by far the largest stockholder. In 1868 the mills were destroyed by fire, but through the untiring energy of Mr. Dayton they were rebuilt, but were again destroyed by fire in 1875.
Chantry-This is one of the embryo townsites of the fifties which has not been on the map for many years. It was platted August 24, 1857, the owner being Augustus French, on the northeast fractional quarter of section 12, five or six miles below Lansing, and doubtless high hopes were at one time entertained that it was destined to become an important river point.
Lafayette-Was a settlement on the Mississippi about a mile above Chantry. The first settler was Thomas Gordon, in 1850. It was a good boat landing, and at one time possessed one or two stores and a large steam sawmill, but so far as known, no attempt was made to plat and sell city lots here. In 1857 the saw- mill was changed to a gristmill by Kinyon & Amsden, which was in 1859 and later known as Foot's mill.
Heytman's-Is a more modern map name, being a railroad siding and way station in the extreme southeast corner of fractional section 17.
WEXFORD 1
This was the name given to the pioneer Catholic church of Northeastern Iowa, by its founder, Rev. Thomas Hore, who came here direct from his former home of the same name, it is said, in Ireland, to establish a parish among his countrymen, who were at the time rapidly settling up this vicinity. He came
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here in the spring of 1851 and purchased thousands of acres of Government lands in what is now Lafayette and Taylor townships, at various points, at the Govern- ment price of $1.25 per acre, from the sale of which in the following years, a large revenue was derived. A small church edifice was at once erected, but whether this was upon the site of the present church is not fully established. An early map, published in 1859, shows a Catholic church and monk's house located on section 27, two miles west of the present church. But if ever actually built there the location was very temporary. The Trappist monks contemplated locat- ing in this vicinity, but later decided npon a home at Dubuque. This little church wherever located was undoubtedly the first church built in Allamakee county; and Father Hore was the first Catholic priest to locate in the county. Upon the map above referred to the name Wexford is applied to a small settlement or landing-place on the bank of Harper's channel, in the southeast corner of section 6, range 2. Taylor township.
As to the later whereabouts of Father Hore there are no data at hand to determine. Not long after this parish was erected, Monona seems to have had a Catholic settlement, as the settlements of "Monona and New Wexford" were added to the list of charges of Rt. Rev. Mathias Loras, the first bishop of Dubuque, as stated in an article by Rev. B. C. Lenehan, published in the Annals of Iowa (January 1899). Father Hore was a very popular and influential man, and drew to this point a large immigratiou of his countrymen who bought the lands he had obtained from the Government. The Wexford church is located on the southeast quarter of southeast quarter section 25, township 98, range 3. in the valley of the creek known as Priest Cooley. The writer is not informed as to the date the present edifice was erected, nor of the succession of the priests having this parish in charge. In 1855 Father Welch residedchere, and served the Lans- ing and other churches until 1863. Rev. Matthias Hannon was stationed at Wex- ford from 1863 to '66. Rev. James McGowan was pastor in 1869; Reverend Nelson about 1883; and Rev. Thomas Laffan, the present pastor, has been here for several years.
This, Immaculate Conception church of Wexford, became formally incor- porated February 6, 1912, with Archbishop James J. Keane ex-officio president, Pastor Thomas Laffan, vice president ; John J. Keane, vicar general, constituting the board of directors, with lay members John J. Hawes and Thomas W. Brennan.
Zion's Church of the Evangelical Association of North America, of Columbus Ridge, was incorporated March 5. 1873, and in July following, dedicated a fine new church building ; the trustees being at that time: Julius Kehrberg. Frederick Martin, Ferdinand Martin, Gottlieb Goettel, Sr., and Jr., William Gaunitz, and Herman Kehrberg. The present pastor is, we believe, Reverend Pfalsgraff, suc- ceeding Reverend Raecker. See sketch of the Lansing church for further history.
The following names include some of the earliest settlers in Lafayette town- ship, but as the date and location cannot in many cases be given with certainty they are generally omitted: Helge Olson, section 32; Simon Decrevel, section 2; Thos. Gordon, section 3; H. H. Pope, section 7: John Franklin, Thomas Bentley, John Cockran, Timothy Madden, Wm. Scanlan, Edward and John Kelly, Edward O'Neill, Thomas Mullins, Wm. Heatly, section 25; Michael
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Flynn, Austin Joyce and Wm. Fitzgerald, section 34; J. M. Rose, Peter Valentine, Win. C. Thompson, S. M. Thompson, Patrick O'Toole. Edward Mularkey, sec- tion II ; Edward Dungan, section 27: E. A. Tisdale, section 31 ; the foregoing in range 3, while others in range 2, were: James and Wm. Bohan, sections 17 and 18; Patrick Lawrence and Michael Keenan, section 18; Joseph Flood, section 31. Other actual settlers doubtless came in as early as some of the above mentioned, and bought land of original purchasers who did not settle here.
The population of the township in 1854 was 371, and in 1910 the census gives it as 747.
The present township officers are: clerk, Thomas Crowe: trustees, John Bohrer, John J. Haws, Richard Cassidy ; assessor. Mat Guider.
LANSING TOWNSHIP
Organization dates from February, 1852, and its boundaries include all of ranges 4 and fractional 3. in township 99 north, except fractional section 34 set off to Lafayette. The population in 1854 was 440. The history of the town- ship is largely the history of the city, which is given a chapter by itself. Aside from the pioneer settlers therein mentioned, however, there were numerous set- tlers in the valleys and on the ridges and prairies outside, the following occurring among the names of those who took Government land in 1851 or earlier. Among the earliest of these was Andrew Sandry, who came in 1849 or '50, and resided here until his death in the spring of 1913, for sixty-three years or more. Others were: Fred Lenz, Samuel Baumann and Peter Riser, Ernest Mueller and John Bakewell (1850), Melchior Schindler (1850), Peter Stauffacher, Elisha Wood- ruff and John Cole, 1851.
The following named were some of the earliest settlers taking land direct from the Government or of the school fund in Lansing township, aside from those elsewhere named, viz : S. H. Haines, Adam Hirth, Peter Hirth, John Soll, Henry G. Weaver, John May, John Englehorn, John Baker, Michael Englehorn, John Carlisle, Jacob Englehorn, John A. Hirth, John Bakewell, John Riser, Elisha Hale.
The first enumeration of Lansing township, in 1854, showed a population of 440. By the census of 1910, it was 666, exclusive of the city.
Lansing township officials are at present : Clerk, H. H. Gilbertson ; trustees, Julius Feuerhelm, Henry Gramlich, Frank Thomson; assessor, Henry Becker ; justices, Edw. Bensch and P. S. Pierce ; constables, H. F. Gaunitz and Stewart Cooper.
Columbus-This famous name was given to the most important point in the county at the time, a landing place on the Mississippi just below, or southeast of, the mouth of Village creek. It was often called Capoli, from the name of the bluff at the base of which it lay, which appears in the narratives of the early explorers as "Cap-à-l'ail," in Schoolcraft, or "Cape a'l'ale Sauvage," as in Bel- trami. It became the first actual county seat of Allamakee county in the spring of 1851, the nominal location at "the old stake" in Jefferson township not having been utilized, and so remained until Waukon was made the county seat by the commission for relocation two years later. The first recorded term of District court was held here in July, 1852, and for two years it was a rival of Lansing
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as a business point. The proprietors of the townsite were Leonard B. Hodges. Thomas B. Twiford, and Aaron Chesebro, who platted the land in 1852, reserving a plot of two acres in the center for prospective county buildings, which never materialized. At the June, 1852, term of the County court it was ordered that the Columbus town lots be advertised for sale, on the terms one-third down, balance in one year, and the proceeds be applied to the erection of suitable county buildings at that place. Elias Topliff also had a proprietary interest in the place about this time. L. B. Hodges, a prominent figure in the early history of the county, later became Commissioner of Forestry of the State of Minnesota, and had charge of tree-planting along the line of the Northern Parific railroad. He published some valuable works on forest culture, and died at St. Paul in 1883.
While there was some sale for Columbus lots for a time, the town collapsed after the removal of the county seat, and eventually all the lots were disposed of at tax sales and are now part of a farm owned by G. M. Kerndt.
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