Glasgow General Store closes - 1959

JENNINGS, HUFF, LAMBIRTH, HOWELL, WRIGHT, TURNER, GREGORY, TAYLOR, STRONG

Posted By: Joey Stark
Date: 5/23/2011 at 18:41:48

"The Fairfield Daily Ledger"
Saturday, December 19, 1959

GLASGOW OLDEST SETTLEMENT IN COUNTY
Last General Store Closed.

A sign in the window of the Glasgow store which says "Closed" tells the story of the dwindling community which was probably the first settlement in Jefferson County. The store is the last business establishment in the once thriving Round Prairie town. The last owner, Homer JENNINGS, closed the door for the last time around Nov. 15 this year.

But despite the fact the community is slowly passing out of existence as many other small towns in the county have done in years past, its history will live on for many more years.

It was in this vicinity that the first white settlers visited Jefferson County. John HUFF is said to have been the first white settler to enter the county in 1835. Thomas LAMBIRTH is credited with building the first home in the county in 1836.

Tom HOWELL, former county sheriff who was born and reared in Jefferson County near Glasgow, says he believes Glasgow was settled in 1837 or 1838. He can remember when it was a bustling community with three general stores, three doctors, a hotel, post office, four blacksmith shops, a wagon shop, two churches, butcher shop, barber shop, millinery and dressmaking shop, and a mill. The blacksmith shops, all operating at the same time were owned by William WRIGHT, his two sons John and Frank WRIGHT, and Sam TURNER.

Two sisters, Lucilla and Nina GREGORY, moved to Glasgow from Richland and opened a dressmaking shop and millinery store.

Elliott P. TAYLOR, a Civil War veteran and later a hotel operator, was one of Glasgow's better known early citizens. He was born in Aurora, Ill., on Dec. 23, 1845. At the age of 16 he enlisted in the 4th Iowa Cavalry and served during the Civil War. Discharged in 1865, he returned to Jefferson County and operated the hotel in Glasgow for a number of years. He ws married in 1867 to Clara STRONG. He died a number of years ago.

The HOWELL family has lived in Jefferson County almost as long as the town of Glasgow has been in existence. Two brothers, John and Tom HOWELL, came to Van Buren County in 1836 from Virginia, and moved to Round Prairie Township in Jefferson County in 1839. They purchased 450 acres at the time, much of which is still in the HOWELL family after a period of 118 years. It has never been owned by anyone other than a member of the HOWELL family.

Albert HOWELL, father of the former county sheriff, and his brother, Parvin, was born on the old home place in 1840. He spent his entire life on the farm, and died in 1923. Tom and Parvin were both born on the same farm. Parvin still lives on the same place.

The empty store building is the last remaining sign of the business that once took place in the thriving little community. A small dwelling now stands where the hotel was located. A weather-worn frame building, almost ready to fall down, stands across the street west from the store. The old building was once a machine shop.

But Glasgow isn't dead yet. It is still the home of several families. It has its church, school and central telephone office, and the former school building is used as the community hall. Unlike many other Jefferson County communities, the coming and going of the railroad had no bearing on Glasgow's existence. It was never served by a railroad.

*Transcribed for genealogy purposes; I am not related to the person(s) mentioned.