Part 57 (1/2)
After years of quiet and peaceful pursuits the mutterings of civil war began to be heard. The lowering clouds portending the storm made the heart of many a pioneer mother beat with anxiety as she felt that if it came she must lay a son on the altar.
Finally when the storm burst on the community Maine towns.h.i.+p was not backward in sending its quota of men, something like twenty of its best sons enlisting in the Twentieth Iowa, and others in the Sixteenth, the Twenty-fourth, and other scattered regiments.
With improved market facilities and the high prices of war times the farmers rapidly acc.u.mulated a competence.
The war over, the soldiers returned to peaceful pursuits, the young men of other states began to hunt up locations, and many of them found their way to Maine towns.h.i.+p.
Farms were rapidly opened up after 1865, and it was not many years until all the open prairie was turned, fenced, put to crops, homes built, and the whole face of the towns.h.i.+p changed to a busy, peaceful, and prosperous scene.
In its early days there was little chance or opportunity for religious gatherings. It was difficult to find ministers to conduct funerals, and church services were a long way apart, both in meeting places and appointment.
In 1854 a Methodist cla.s.s was established at Central City, then called Clarksford. In 1856 the Jordan's Grove Baptist church was organized, and in 1858 the Congregational church at Central City was established.
In 1855 the village of Waubeek was laid out, and for many years was a fine trading point. Its stores, together with its mill, did a fine business. It has one of the finest store buildings in Linn county.
In 1856 the village of Central City was surveyed, and the same year the dam was built across the river where it now stands.
In 1887 the Illinois Central railroad built a line from Manchester to Cedar Rapids, running it through Central City.
This little city, exactly half way between Manchester and Cedar Rapids, at once began to grow as soon as it was certain the railroad would be built.
This road was a great boon to the north part of Linn county, as before that Marion was its nearest market, and many had to haul their produce twenty miles to reach it.
Central City now has six hundred people. It has fourteen business houses, three churches, a solid bank, a fine school doing full twelve-grade work.
The post office is third cla.s.s, with four rural routes. It is the distributing point for freight for all the surrounding country, with large hog, cattle, hay, and grain buying facilities. It has two lumber yards, and from 1,200 to 2,000 tons of coal are s.h.i.+pped in here every year.
The village of Waubeek has no railroad and has made no advance for the past twenty years. It has four stores, post office, creamery, two churches, good schools, and fine stone quarries.
It is not necessary to enlarge on this history. It is doubtless a repet.i.tion of the history of many other towns.h.i.+ps, but we, its citizens, have a local pride in its beauty, its bounty, its prosperity, its boundless hospitality. No finer cattle, hogs, horses, sheep, and poultry can be found on the face of the earth than are raised in Maine towns.h.i.+p. The physical, moral, social, intellectual, and financial condition of the people is on a high plane, and shows a steady growth and development through all the years since the first settlement. Its people have laid aside the miserly habits made necessary by their early struggles, and there is literally nothing too good for them to have and enjoy. This prosperity is shown by the fine modern homes being built, or remodeled from the older ones, all over the towns.h.i.+p, with every modern convenience in the way of plumbing and heating, and furnished in the latest and best way. Commodious barns and outbuildings, tiling of wet places, and building of woven wire fences mark the advances of farm work, making every acre available for cultivation.
The bounteous crops, the high prices of all farm produce, the solid improvements being made, the phenomenal price of land--and it is still soaring--all mark a prosperous, happy, and contented people, loyal, honest, industrious, hospitable, ready always to entertain the stranger within the gates. Farm life no longer carries with it the dreary isolation and monotony of early pioneer life. The work is done with modern machinery. Telephones extend to every home in the towns.h.i.+p. Rural delivery takes the mail each morning to their doors, and the latest literature is found on their library tables. They are in touch with every phase of life.
The women no longer spin and weave, and then sew and knit, but buy ready made the best that is manufactured.
When the day's work is done they come to town in their automobiles, the women gowned in the latest fas.h.i.+ons, to enjoy an evening of social pleasure, engage in club work, society work, lodge work, and church work. The village of Waubeek has a ladies' improvement club, and they have built over a mile of fine cement sidewalk.
As one rides over the great state of Iowa and sees its flocks and herds, its fine homes, cities, towns, and villages, the bounteous crops, and notes the intelligence and contentment of its people, we are led with the red men of virgin days to exclaim ”E-A-WAH,” the beautiful land, and no fairer spot can be found in its broad domain than Maine towns.h.i.+p, of which we are all proud to be residents and citizens.
JACKSON TOWNs.h.i.+P
Jackson towns.h.i.+p is in the north tier of towns.h.i.+ps. It is bounded on the north by Buchanan county, on the east by Boulder towns.h.i.+p, on the south by Maine and on the west by Spring Grove towns.h.i.+ps. It is well watered by the Wapsie river as well as by Buffalo creek, both of which streams traverse parts of the ground called for political purposes Jackson towns.h.i.+p. The towns.h.i.+p is largely settled by Americans whose ancestors located on these verdant prairies in the forties and fifties.
The towns.h.i.+p is supposed to have been named by David Sutton, in honor of his patron saint Andrew Jackson. James Lytle came from Indiana and took up a claim here in 1841. He brought his wife who was a daughter of David Sutton, who located here in January, 1843, with a wife and nine children. The first white child born in the towns.h.i.+p was Frances, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Lytle. Sam W. Justice came in 1845 and erected a house on ground where now is the town of Paris, which was staked out on the south bank of the Wapsie river on what is now sections 19 and 20, towns.h.i.+p 86, range 6. Sam Chamberlain opened the first store and established quite a trade, which later was shared by Rob. C. Powell, who erected a more complete store building and provided more pretentious quarters where he was besides store keeper the first postmaster. Dan McCrellis and Anos Bond located on lands on which this embryo town was started. Dave Long also saw fit to stop here in search of a home as early as 1848.
Miss Pethenia Gray taught the first school about a half a mile west of Paris in 1850. The first religious services were conducted by Rev.
Little at the home of Sam Justin. Jas. Nugent settled in section 12 in the northeastern part of the county in 1847 at what for many years was known as Nugent's Grove. Mr. Nugent was for many years justice, school director, towns.h.i.+p trustee, and held other offices. He was a leader of the republican party for many years and well known over the county. He died a number of years ago, the widow pa.s.sing away at an advanced age in the fall of 1910. S. D. Mills settled here with his family in 1853, followed the following spring by F. M. Philips who came from Illinois, but returned again and permanently located in the county three years later. The years from 1854-1857 were the most active in the matter of land purchase in this towns.h.i.+p. In 1854 came Wm. Henderson of Scotch descent from Canada with his family and located on lands a little to the west of the present town of Coggon. A large number of the descendants of this family are still large property owners and respected and enterprising citizens of this towns.h.i.+p. E. L. Ware, Henry Thorp, G. C. Edgerly and many others purchased lands and settled here during these years. John Bruce in 1858 during the hard times had the courage to erect a stone grist mill on Buffalo creek at the present site of Coggon and this property later came into the possession of Amos Green who operated the mill till 1876, when he erected a frame structure. This mill was much appreciated by the settlers and it was a busy place for many years. Up till the time of the Illinois Central railway extension in 1887, the place was known as Green's Mill, later called Nugent, after the postoffice, and then named Coggon. The first store at Green's Mill was run by John Bruce, who ran this in connection with his mill. The advent of railroads brought up the price of lands, markets were offered for grain and rents at once advanced and since that time the growth has been steady and healthful till Jackson towns.h.i.+p is not excelled by any other community in the state.
LINN TOWNs.h.i.+P
Linn towns.h.i.+p, in the southeastern part of the county, on account of its location was early settled by L. M. Kepler of Indiana, and G. A.