USA > Iowa > Calhoun County > Past and present of Calhoun County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress, and achievement, Volume I > Part 23
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There are six other incorporated towns in the county-Farnham- ville, Jolley, Knierim, Rinard, Somers and Yetter. The Farnham- ville schoolhouse has been built several years and is valued at only $2,000, but a movement was started in the spring of 1915 for the erection of a new building. Five teachers are employed in the Farn- hamville schools, there are 150 volumes in the school library, the appa- ratus is appraised at $300, and about one hundred and fifty pupils are enrolled.
The Jolley school building is valued at $3,500, four teachers are employed here, over one hundred pupils enrolled, and the sehool has 100 volumes in its library.
At Knierim the schoolhouse is valued at $3,200, but the apparatus used is valued at $900. About one hundred pupils are enrolled and four teachers are employed during the school year.
Rinard was not incorporated until early in the year 1915 and its schools are not reported separately in the last report of the county superintendent, being included in Cedar Township.
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Somers has a comfortable school building, in which four teachers are employed, and which is valued at $2,600. The library numbers 150 volumes and about one hundred pupils are enrolled.
Y'etter has the smallest enrollment of any of the towns in the county, reporting in 1914 but sixty-four pupils. Two teachers are employed, there are 150 volumes in the library, the apparatus is valued at $200 and the building at $3,200.
RURAL SCHOOLS
In the chapters on Township History is given an account of the early schools in each township, as well as the conditions in each at the beginning of the year 1915. But for convenience of comparison the rural schools are here recapitulated. There are 130 districts in the several townships. Butler has six; Calhoun and Lincoln, seven each; Cedar, Center, Elm Grove, Greenfield, Jackson. Reading and Twin Lakes, eight each; Garfield, Lake Creek, Logan, Sherman, Union and Williams, nine each. In these 130 districts 132 teachers were employed during the school year of 1913-14, and that number has since been increased to 135. This number, added to the eighty-nine teachers in the incorporated towns, makes a total of 224 teachers employed in the county and town schools. The value placed on the rural schoolhouses by the county superintendent is $71,190, which is below the real value and does not include the value of the lands upon which the houses stand. The apparatus in the rural schools was valued in 1914 at $3,150, and the total number of volumes in the libraries was 11,150. It is safe to say that Calhoun County has over three hundred thousand dollars permanently invested in school property, and that this amount is annually increasing by the erection of new schoolhouses, etc.
COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL
Pursuant to an act of the Iowa Legislature, the citizens of Cal- houn County, or a majority of them, petitioned the board of super- visors in 1889 to submit to the voters the question of establishing a county high school at Rockwell City. The board granted the peti- tion and on September 2, 1889, issued the order that the question be submitted to the electors of Calhoun County at the election on the 5th of the following November. The proposition to establish such a school was defeated at the election and Calhoun County never had a
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high school under the provisions of the aet mentioned. After all, it was probably a good thing for the people of the county that such a school was not established, as each of the principal towns now has its own high school, thus bringing the facilities for high school edu- cation in eloser touch with the population and enabling a larger num- ber of the youth of the county to attend such institutions at less expense.
PUBLIC LIBRARIES
There are two public libraries in Calhoun County-one at Lake City and the other at Rockwell City. The library at Lake City marks the beginning of its history from the spring of 1905, when the club women of the town started a canvass for one book or more from each family, the collection thus established to become a circulating sub- scription library. Quite a number of books were donated and the next question that came up was to provide some place to house them. S. T. Hutchison donated a lot at the northeast corner of the public square for a site for a library building and communication was opened with Andrew Carnegie, asking him to donate a sum sufficient to erect a suitable building.
In 1908 the people of the town voted in favor of a tax to sup- port the library and Mr. Carnegie then gave $7.500 for the purpose requested. Plans were approved and work was commenced on the building in 1909. In May, 1910, the library was thrown open to the public. It has been well patronized from the start and a number of new books are added annually. On March 1, 1915, there were 2,300 volumes in the library, embracing history, poetry and the drama, biography, reference works and fiction. There are also a number of juvenile works for the benefit of the young folks.
The library is managed by a board of nine trustees. John N. Freeman was president of the board in March, 1915; Mrs. L. J. Mighell, vice president; E. W. Townsend, secretary and treasurer; and the other members were: Mrs. Elizabeth Hutchison, Mrs. T. B. Hotchkiss, Mrs. Adda B. Griffin, Mrs. H. W. Crawford, Mrs. Jose- phine Moseley and Arthur Bauer. The library is open of afternoons and evenings on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and is under the charge of Miss Blanche I. Hackett as librarian.
The first attempt to establish anything in the nature of a library in Rockwell City was made in the spring of 1897, when the young people's societies joined together and opened a reading room in the
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rear of Lucas' jewelry store on the south side of the square. The reading proved to be popular and some of the publie spirited citizens petitioned the city council to submit to the people the question of levying a tax for the support of a library. The question was so sub- mitted on March 27, 1898, but a majority of the votes were cast in the negative and the proposition to start a library by means of a tax was defeated.
After a time the young people grew tired of maintaining the read- ing room at their own expense and it was discontinued. The subject of a public library or reading room was then allowed to lie dormant until December, 1904. Then Rev. C. M. Phoenix, pastor of the Methodist Church, raised a fund and leased two rooms on the second floor of the Savings Bank Building, which he opened as a reading room for young men. The rooms were heated by steam and lighted by electricity and were open of evenings and Sunday afternoons. The project was supported by voluntary contributions, but after Mr. Phoenix was called to another charge the reading room was left with- out its principal supporter and was soon abandoned.
In the spring of 1907 Mrs. Sarah M. Stevenson, then president of the Tourist Club, appointed a committee to take the preliminary steps toward the founding of a public library, Mrs. F. H. Allan, Mrs. B. E. Stonebraker, Mrs. Stevenson and Mrs. M. W. Friek were all particularly active in the work. People donated books and some money for running expenses, and the first reading room was opened in the Brower Hotel Building. Then some of the men became inter- ested, and started a movement for the establishment of a public library in a home of its own.
On December 4, 1907, a number of women appeared before the city council in regular session and asked that body to submit the ques- tion of levying a library tax to the people at a special election. The council accordingly called an election for Saturday, January 11, 1908, when the proposition was carried by a vote of 124 to 84.
In the meantime E. C. Stevenson, on behalf of the people of Rockwell City, had written to Andrew Carnegie and learned the terms upon which he would donate the necessary funds for the erection of a library building. After the election of January 11, 1908, it was found that a tax of 3 mills on the dollar would raise a fund of $840, and as Mr. Carnegie required the tax to equal 10 per cent of his donation, it was decided to ask him for $8,400. He took the view that $8,000 would be sufficient and that sum was given to the city. The building was dedicated on June 9, 1909, with Judge Z. A. Church
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as the orator of the occasion, and was immediately afterward opened to the public, with Mrs. F. H. Allan as librarian. When the build- ing was completed there were 800 books in the library and on June 1, 1915, the number of vohnes was about four thousand.
The trustees for 1915 were M. W. Friek, F. P. Huff, E. W. Burch, E. C. Stevenson, R. H. Mattison, Mrs. C. E. Leonard, Mrs. J. F. Lavender, Mrs. J. C. Friek and Miss Cora Corwin.
Mention has been made of the libraries condueted in connection with the public schools. While they are not public libraries, the pupils frequently are permitted to take books to their homes for the purpose of study, and in this way many of the volumes are read wholly or partially by the parents. At the elose of the school year in 1914 there were approximately sixteen thousand volumes in the various school libraries.
In the fall of 1900 County Superintendent Sandy announced to his teachers that some public spirited man, who did not wish his name made public, had agreed to give $200 in prizes to the districts that would raise the most money for library purposes between September, 1900, and July, 1901. The first prize was to consist of $30 worth of books, the second of $20 worth, and the next fifteen prizes of $10 worth each. District No. 4, Twin Lakes Township, won the first prize, having raised $82; District No. 1, Center 'Township, won the second prize with $40.30, though Distriet No. 1, Williams Township, was not far behind, having raised even $40. The total amount raised by the children of the county was $792.93.
The same man the following year agreed to give $10 worth of books to every distriet that raised $25, and repeated his prize offer, providing that the schools which won prizes in the first contest should not be permitted to compete in the second. It was largely through the generosity of this anonymous benefactor that the school libraries of Calhoun County occupy the high position they do at the present time.
THE PRESS
The newspaper is unquestionably a factor in the educational development of any community. Through the dissemination of gen- eral news it keeps its readers in elose touch with current history, and by the publieation of special articles on scientific, industrial or domes- tic subjects it helps forward modern progress by giving men and women a better grasp on their occupations. It is therefore consid-
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ered appropriate to include in this chapter some account of the news- papers of Calhoun County.
As the farmer, the artisan or the professional man reads his news- paper today, he may not know the many steps in its evolution, or if he does know he does not attach much importance to the story of the newspaper's development. Long before printing was invented news letters, written with a pen or brush-something like the modern bulletin board-were circulated in Rome, Venice and China. The first printed newspaper was the Nuremberg Gazette, published in 1457.
The first American newspaper, entitled "Publick Occurrences," was printed in Boston, Mass., September 25, 1690. It consisted of three pages of two columns cach and one blank page. For some rea- son this paper was soon suppressed, and in 1704 the Boston News Letter made its appearance, printed on one sheet of foolscap paper. It continued to flourish for nearly three-quarters of a century. The first political paper in the United States was published in 1733, and the first daily paper in 1784.
In 1834 John King came from Ohio to Dubuque and brought a printing press, the first ever brought to what is now the State of Iowa. On May 11, 1836, the Dubuque Visitor, the first newspaper ever printed in Iowa, was printed on this press and hore the name of William C. Jones as editor.
Gue's History of Iowa says the first paper in Calhoun County was started in June, 1871, by B. F. Gue, with Ed W. Wood in charge. It was located at Lake City and was called the Calhoun County Pioneer. Wood afterward purchased the paper and con- dueted it for a while, when he sold to T. B. Hotchkiss. After a time Hotchkiss and his associates sold to Earl Billings, who changed the name to the Calhoun County Index. Billings conducted the paper but a short time, when he sold to E. B. Tabor, now of the Earlville (Ill.) Leader, who removed it to Glidden, and Calhoun was without a newspaper.
Early in November, 1874, T. B. Hotchkiss began the publication of the Lake City Journal. In the summer of 1877 he removed the office to Rockwell City, the new county seat, and changed the name of the paper to the Calhoun County Journal. Subsequently hc removed the paper to Pomeroy, where it was published for a short time, when it was taken to Manson. Soon after locating at Manson Mr. Hotchkiss sold a half interest to B. F. Walton and a little later sold the other half to George I. Long, who had served as an appren-
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tice on the Journal. Walton sold his interest to Thomas D. Long and under the management of the Long brothers the Manson Jour- nal became one of the best known newspapers in Northwestern Iowa. After the death of George I. Long the paper was conducted by his brother until October 1, 1914, when it was sold to Thomas Walpole.
On August 9, 1877, the first number of the Manson Press was issued by Cyrus D. Auver, of Webster City. In his salutatory Mr. Auyer said: "Today we step upon the rostrum of journalism in Calhoun County. We make no promises of future great achieve- ments, but shall pursue any course that we may be convinced will result in the greatest good to the greatest number. Politically, the Press will be republiean, but we shall always, to the best of our ability, support the best men for the best places. Our first aim will be to serve the people of Calhoun County with a live local paper, and all other matter must give way to local interests."
In time the Press was succeeded by the Manson Demoerat, which in 1892 was conducted by T. B. LeMoine. In July of that year John F. Dalton acquired a half interest in the paper and on December 1, 1892, he purchased the interest of Mr. LeMoine, improved the plant. and is still the proprietor of the Democrat.
After T. B. Hotchkiss disposed of the Manson Journal he re- turned to Lake City, where in 1879 he started the Lake City Blade. On March 10, 1886, the Blade was purchased by W. C. Snyder, who continued its publication until April 19, 1911, when it was consoli- dated with the Lake City News. L
The first number of the Lake City Graphie was issued on Decem- ber 18, 1886, by T. B. Hotchkiss, who is still the proprietor. It was first pubished in the old courthouse, which had been removed from the public square to South Center Street, and was owned by Mr. Hotehkiss. When the Citizens Bank Building was erected in 1899 the basement was fitted up expressly for the use of the Graphie, where Mr. Hotchkiss has one of the best equipped newspaper and printing plants in this section of the state.
In May, 1879, A. Calhoon bought a press and stoek of type from J. N. Miller and began the publication of the Calhoun County Repub- liean. He conducted the paper but a short time, however, when he sold out to H. W. Dudley. This paper has had an uninterrupted existence and is now published by Mattison Brothers as a weekly republiean paper.
In November, 1880, E. B. Stillman and his brother bought the outfit of the Avoca Mail and removed it to Lohrville, where they
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started the Lohrville Enterprise. A little later they leased the office to E. E. Johnston, who afterward purchased the Rockwell City Advo- cate and leased the Lohrville paper to Fred Moore, of Lake City. Charles J. Baker then bought the plant from the Stillmans, and in May, 1896, sold it to D. W. Ainey. Several changes in ownership and management followed until 1903, when J. C. Ashton purchased the office from H. W. Robinson, and in 1910 W. F. Saffey became Mr. Ashton's partner. The Enterprise is still published by Ashton & Safley.
Late in September, 1890, S. K. Gregg began the publication of a newspaper at Rockwell City, which he called the Farmers Advo- cate. Mr. Gregg sold out to Alford & Fisher, who conducted the paper but a short time, when the outfit was sold to E. E. Johnston, the lessee of the Lohrville Enterprise. The first number of the Advocate issued by Mr. Johnston bears date of March 11, 1892. He continued at the head of the paper until October 16, 1907, when he sold to Walter A. Noel, the present editor and proprietor. In the meantime the name had been changed to the Rockwell City Advocate.
The Lake City News was started by Kane & Jackson. Mr. Kane was a practical printer and the junior partner had formerly been county superintendent of schools in Sae County. In a little while Kane sold his interest to a man named Clark, who later bought Mr. Jackson's interest and became sole proprietor. It was under Mr. Clark's management at the time the Lake City Blade was consolidated with the News in April, 1911. In October, 1911, the paper, good will and fixtures were purchased by W. H. T. Shade, the present proprietor.
The Pomeroy Herald began its existence soon after the great tor- nado of 1893. Later a small paper called the Pomeroy Gleaner was started, but it was absorbed by the Herald in October, 1898, while Ed Larmon was proprietor. The Herald has changed hands several times during its career and is now published weekly by Seott HI. MeClure.
Charles Wright, a practical printer who learned his trade in the office of the Fairfield (Neb.) Ledger, came to Farnhamville in May, 1901, and started the Farnhamville Index. On February 10, 1904, the Index became the property of J. W. Hartinger, who is still the editor and proprietor.
There have been a few newspaper ventures in the county that were short lived. Among these was the Rockwell City Sentinel, which was published for a short time in 1897 by L. O. IIull, and an
PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 237
effort was made to establish a newspaper at Somers soon after that town was incorporated, but no details concerning it have been learned.
The minutes of the board of supervisors in 1886 mention the Rockwell City Leader as one of the official papers of the county. The Leader was started a short time before that by A. W. Jackson as a democratic weekly. The publication offiee was burned and the Leader was discontinued. Mr. Jackson then went to Ord, Neb. Subsequently he returned to Iowa, located at West Liberty, and, having changed his politics, was appointed postmaster of that town by President Taft.
Upon the whole, the newspapers of Calhoun County at the pres- ent time will compare favorably with those of the other counties of the state. As a rule they are well printed, presenting a neat and elean appearance: they show commendable enterprise in the publication of local news, have substantial subscriptions lists and enjoy a good adver- tising patronage.
CHAPTER XV
CHURCH HISTORY
CHURCH HISTORY DIFFICULT TO WRITE - METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH-CHRISTIAN CHURCH-CHURCH OF CHRIST-CATHOLIC CHURCH-CONGREGATIONALISTS-THE LUTHERANS-EVANGELICAL CHURCHI - PRESBYTERIANS - THE BAPTISTS - BRIEF SKETCHES OF EACH SOCIETY-MISCELLANEOUS CHURCHES-GENERAL COMMENT.
To compile an accurate account of the church organizations in any county is one of the hardest tasks that could be assigned to the writer of a county history. The men and women who founded the churches, years ago, have been called from the scene of their earthly labors by the hand of death or removed to other localities; early records have been lost or destroyed; pastors come and go, seldom remaining long enough in one place to become thoroughly familiar with the history of the congregation; and very few of the old members of the church that are left ean remember in detail the events that happened during the early years of its existence.
Most of the pioneers of Calhoun County were firm believers in the principles and tenets of the Christian religion and it was not long after the first settlements were made that steps were taken to organize church societies and build houses of worship. At first denomina- tional lines were not closely drawn and in the first church buildings erected ministers of different faiths held services, which were gen- erally attended by all the settlers within reach, without regard to theological differences of opinion. But as the population inereased the people who belonged to some particular seet, or worshiped aceord- ing to some established creed, associated themselves together as a church organization.
METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH
Gue, in his History of Iowa, says a Methodist Episcopal Church was organized at Lake City in 1856, and that it was the first church
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m Calhoun County. Among the early ministers of this denomination who held services in Calhoun County were Cadwell, Fleming, Hindig, Ney, Bell, Mitchell, and Rev. Charles Clifton. Some of these men came to the settlement and preached in private dwellings before any attempt was made to organize a church society. The first meetings of this congregation were held in the old courthouse and the school- house for several years, but on January 8, 1875, the Methodist Epis- copal Church of Lake City was incorporated by John Offenbaek, E. S. Clow, D. E. Rogan. J. D. McVay and J. M. Toliver. Six days later F. E. Stevenson sold to the church lot No. 1, block 18, in Lake City, for a consideration of one dollar, and upon this lot a frame house of worship was soon afterward erected.
New articles of incorporation were filed with the county recorder on September 10, 1909, when the name was changed to "Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church of Lake City." with H. M. Humphrey, C. H. Paekard, D. W. MeCrary, H. H. Feige and J. M. Miller as trustees. The present handsome and commodious house of worship, a brick structure of modern design, was built in 1910 on the site of the old church building. Besides being the oldest Methodist society in the county, Trinity is one of the strongest and most prosperous churches of this faith in the eounty at the present time.
Grace Methodist Episcopal Church of Manson had its beginning in July, 1866, when the few Methodists living in the northeastern part of the county met at the house of Joseph Yates and organized a Sunday school, with Robert Glover as superintendent. In the fall of that year the circuit rider, a minister named King, came from the church on the North Lizard and organized a Methodist elass, with W. T. Smith as class leader. The next year Mr. Hamilton, who succeeded Mr. King on the circuit, began holding regular services at Mr. Yates' residenee.
Later the meetings were held in the Yatesville schoolhouse until the railroad was built and the Town of Manson sprang up, when the church was transferred to the new village. About 1873 the Congre- gationalist Church was built in Manson and the Methodists held their meetings in this house for a while, when they erected a small frame church of their own. Grace Church was incorporated on June 30, 1899, with J. A. Janssen, J. J. Scbern, J. E. Reynoldson, W. D. Long, M. W. Fitz, Dr. W. T. Speaker, J. E. Kersteter, E. L. Hobbs and J. M. Seaver, as the first board of trustees. Not long after the incorporation of the society a substantial brick house of worship, with a seating capacity of about one thousand, was erected and dedicated.
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The Methodist Episcopal Church of Rockwell City was organ- ized in the spring of 1878, with Rev. W. F. Gleason of the Manson charge as the first minister. The charter members of this ebureh were: Mr. and Mrs. W. T. Smith, Mr. and Mrs. A. N. Jack, Mr. and Mrs. Washington Lewis, Mr. and Mrs. T. W. MeCrary, Mr. and Mrs. Marcus Freeman, and a few others. The second pastor was Rev. William Preston.
For more than four years the services were held in the school- house. On February 1, 1882, the society was incorporated, with Washington Lewis, T. W. MeCrary, W. T. Smith, A. N. Jack and Mareus Freeman as the first board of trustees. During that year funds for the erection of a church were collected and in 1883 a frame house of worship was completed at a cost of about thirty-five hundred dollars. This structure served the congregation until the fall of 1906, when the congregation decided on a new building to have a seating capacity of at least 850 people, which could be increased to 1,000. The cornerstone of the new edifice was laid on April 24, 1907, Hon. J. P. Dolliver, one of Iowa's United States senators, delivering the address. Before the close of the year the new church was dedieated. Its cost was $20,000 and it is one of the best church buildings in the county.
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