Foss Allen

ALLEN, MAXWELL, DOUGLASS, TURNER, COOPER, BROWN, HURST, BOWEN, OLSEN, COUCH

Posted By: Deborah Gilbert (email)
Date: 9/2/2016 at 14:29:41

Book: Maxwell 1883-1983

Foss Allen came to Maxwell at the age of three in the fall of 1893 with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Allen. His father was a carpenter and came to Maxwell from Des Moines to build an addition to the Maxwell House Hotel. He stayed in Maxwell the remainder of his life.

Foss started working with his father in the carpentry trade in 1912, and worked in that trade until 1918. During this time he remodeled the old home of J. W. Maxwell into a school house. He also built the home where Grace Douglas lives for Asa Turner. He also built the home for Steve Cooper next door, north, of the Turner residence. In 1931 he built two school buses for the Maxwell Public Schools for Dick Brown and Carl Hurst.

In 1913, Foss married Gladys Bowen. They had five children, two boys and three girls. The oldest son, William, passed away in June of 1939. The other son, Max, passed away March 10, 1971. Daughter Jean now lives in Los Angeles, California; Jane in Littleton, Colorado and Janice in Hutchinson, Minnesota.

In 1918, Foss went to work for Rude Auto Coompany, a Ford dealer. Trix Couch and Foss formed a partnership under a Ford contract in 1931. It was during this venture that Trix and Foss sold the first fire truck to the City of Maxwell.

During his years in Maxwell, Foss served two terms on the town council and one year on the School Board and was Secretary of the School Board the last few years he lived in Maxwell. He stayed in the automotive business until 1951, at which time they moved to Paradise, California, where they lived for twenty-one years. On September 1, 1972 they moved to Hutchinson, Minnesota to be near their daughter, Mrs. Gene Olsen.

Foss was active in the Masonic Lodge, serving as Master in 1920-1921 and served as Secretary of the Lodge the last nineteen years in Maxwell. He also served on the dance committee for the Old Settlers' Picnic and this committee originally constructed the dance floor in the city park. The committee paid for the floor from dances held at the annual Old Settlers' Picnics.