Used with permission of the Bulletin Journal Conservative from the 1955 Conservative Centennial issue
Buchanan County was named in honor of Senator James Buchanan of Pennsylvania. It was Senator Buchanan who was instrumental in the acquisition of the Wisconsin Territory which included the area that later was to become Buchanan County. Senator Buchanan, a democrat, became the 15th president of the United States. The county was named for Mr. Buchanan when he served as a U. S. Senator and not when he was Chief Executive - which is the common assumption.
The town of Independence, which came into existence on June 15, 1847, was named in honor of one of America's most memorable dates - the signing of the declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. It is believed the name "Independence" was chosen by residents of the community because the official founding of the county seat town occurred less than three weeks prior to the annual observance of Independence day or the Fourth of July.
With permission of the Bulletin Journal Conservative from the 1955 Centennial issue.
The first settler in Byron township was Henry Baker, who settled in 1844. He lived in the township for two years. In 1846 Robert Sutton settled in the township. He moved in 1865.
Other early settlers in the township were S. L. Gaylord, Hamilton McGonigle, Isaac Freeman, and Nathan King.
The first township cemetery was established in 1875 and was called the Whitney cemetery. The first school opened in 1854 and was taught by Miss R. C. Freeman. Frank Freeman died Oct. 23, 1856, and was the first white man to die in the township.
The first wedding was that of Robert Copeland and Louisa McGonigle in 1856. The first postmaster in the township was L. J. Dunlap who was appointed in 1858. The first white child born in the township was Thomas Sutton, born in 1852.
The first religious meetings were held in the southwest part of the township in the Bethel district. The Congregational society was organized May 22, 1865. The members first met in the old Brown schoolhouse. A regular house of worship was built in 1869. The first pastor for the organization was the Rev. William Spell. In 1913 and 1914 the old church was extensively remodeled.
The Winthrop Catholic church was organized in 1876. The members paid $500 for a house in which to worship. The first visiting priest was the Rev. Father Patrick Clabby. A frame church building was erected in 1888.
The Methodist Episcopal society first began in the Silver Creek church. The silver Creek church was established in 1852. They first met in the home of John McKay. In 1866 the church became a part of the Winthrop church and was later disbanded. In 1866 the church at Winthrop was started again.
The Presbyterian church was organized at Quasqueton March 26, 1853. It was withdrawn from the general church by a dispute over the question of slavery and was taken back into the regular church in 1867. On Oct. 4, 1875, a union was affected between the Quasqueton church and the Byron Center church. This was known as the Pine Creek church, and was located two miles west of Winthrop.
On April 7, 1853, a Church of God was organized in Liberty township. The Rev. D. Gill was the first minister. In 1855 a house of worship was built in the southwestern part of Byron township and the church was called the Bethel church.
The first Baptist meeting was held by the Rev. John Fullerton of Independence in June of 1860. He preached the first sermon in the township from the steps of the old Illinois Central depot. Later services were held in private homes and in 1868 a Baptist church was erected which was dedicated in December. In 1869 the members of the Quasqueton Baptist church formed the Winthrop Baptist church. This church was disbanded about 1898 or 1899.
Used with permission of Bulletin-Journal Conservative from the 1955 Conservative Centennial issue
Fremont township was named for John C. Fremont, the first Republican candidate for president of the United States. The township was organized in March of 1856. It was first called Prairie township and the name was later changed to Fremont.
The first settlers in the township were Z. R. and S. W. Rich, two brothers. They settled in July of 1853. Many travelers stopped at their home for rest and lodging. James Flemming settled in the township soon after the Rich brothers came and in April, 1855, Alru Peck came to the settlement. In October, Andrew Payne joined the band of settlers.
Z. R. Rich built the first schoolhouse in 1856 and Laura Peck was the first teacher. The school is reported to have been supported by the Rich brothers. In 1858 a district school was organized.
The first cemetery in Fremont township was established in the southwest section in 1855. Omer Flemming died Feb. 17, 1855 and that was the death of the first white man in the township.
S. W. Rich and Emily Gaylord were the parties to the first marriage in the township in 1854. The first white child born in the township was Ella Rich on December 29, 1853. Z. R. Rich raised the first crop in the township of buckwheat and sod corn. The Rich brothers raised the first wheat in the township in 1854.
A creamery was established in the 1870's by C. W. Schoville and W. L. Mallory.
Used with permission of the Bulletin Journal Conservative from the 1955 Conservative Centennial issue
In April, 1853, the township of Hazleton was established. The township was first named Superior but the name was later changed, about 1862, to the present title. The first township election was held August 1, 1853. Officers elected were: James Huntington, Samuel Sufficool, Nathan Pedycord, E. P. Spear, John Kint.
Samuel Sufficool and D.C. Greeley were the first settlers in the township. They settled Feb. 21, 1847. In the spring they built a log cabin. Calvin Tuttle and wife moved to the township and lived with them.
William Bunce moved to the township in September of 1847 and built a log cabin close to the first one. Other first settlers were: John Kint, Gilman Greeley, W. H. Greeley, Stephan L. Greeley, Isaac Sufficool, Orlando Sufficool, A. Belt, James Girton, Fayette Gillet, W. C. Nelson, E.W. Tenney, L.D. Engle, W.W. Gilbert.
The first wedding in Hazleton township was in 1848 when W. H. Greeley and Mary Ellen Sufficool were united in marriage. D. C. Greeley performed the ceremony.
The first white child born in the township was Wallace Sufficool on Jan. 29, 1849. The first cemetery was established in the fall of 1849 in the northeast part of the township. A second cemetery was established in 1855 in the center of the township.
The first wheat in the township was raised by Samuel Sufficool in 1848. Allen Coy was the first postmaster in the township. The first sawmill was constructed in 1854 by John Moorhouse on Otter creek. It was sold to Isaac Sufficool before it was completed. A tannery was started in 1862 by E. W. Tenney, W. A. Nelson and S. Faulkner.
William Bunce made the first entry of land in June, 1847. In the fall of 1852 a log school house was built in the northeast part of the township by D. C. Greeley and John Kint. Elizabeth Sayles taught 12 scholars that winter. In 1852 a store and post office was started. The store was in charge of Allen Coy who was also postmaster. This settlement, where the store and post office were located, was called Coytown.
In 1853 E. W. Tenney opened a store two and a half miles south of Coy's store. A post office was established there and was called Hazleton. Tenney served as postmaster. In 1873 the Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern railroad was built one mile west and nearly all of the stores and dwellings were moved. It was what is now the present town of Hazleton. On May 3, 1889, four business establishments were destroyed by fire.
In the summer of 1892 the town was incorporated. W. A. Nelson was the first mayor. Before the fire Pret King had a large opera house which was a great attraction in the town.
The Iowa State bank was organized March 31, 1913 by R. B. Raines, R. G. Swan, J. B. Truax, W. E. Bain and M. A. Smith. Capitol stock was $25,000.
The Hazleton state bank was organized in May, 1893. Incorporators were T. E. McCurdy, M. M. Miquet, O. M. Gillet, Frank Miguet, A. W. Jarrett, O. P. King and Theodore Messenger. A Bank magazine, "The Financier of New York" in 1910 gave the Hazleton State bank fourth place on the honor roll of Iowa.
The Kiefer brothers moved to Hazleton in 1877. In the early 1880's they had established a bank and moved to a separate building. In March, 1913, they were forced into involuntary bankruptcy. The Kiefer State bank had been organized in 1908.
The first newspaper in Hazleton was the Hazleton Pioneer. It was first published in March of 1900, by Taylor and Armstrong. It continued publications for about a year. The next paper was the Hazleton Advance started by J. C. Sheeley on March 14, 1902. This paper was printed about four years. The last paper was the Hazleton Free Press started in 1908 and discontinued in 1910 by E. S. Holmes.
On March 13, 1884 Capt. H. W. Holman organized the Grand Army of the Republic post at Hazleton. A new stone school house was built in Hazleton in 1914.
A flag station on the railroad between Hazleton and Independence was established on the Rock Island railroad. In January 1885, it was made a regular station and a post office was established. This office was called Bryant. Alvin Johnson was the first postmaster. The Bryantburg Savings bank was organized June 21, 1913, and was chartered Oct. 11 of the same year.
The Methodist Episcopal society was organized in 1852. The members first met at the home of A. Belt. The Rev. Shippen was the first minister to preach to the congregation. In 1879 a house of worship was erected. The First Presbyterian church was organized in 1874 at the home of John Long by the Rev. J. D. Caldwell.
The Hazleton Catholic church was organized in 1881 by the Rev. Father Grady and a small frame church was constructed. In 1905 a new church and parsonage were built. An organization of Free Will Baptists was formed in July, 1879. The Methodists had a church in the southeast corner of the township called the Prairie Center church.
Used with permission by Bulletin Journal Conservative from the 1955 Conservative Centennial issue.
Liberty is a township of many "firsts" for it was in this township that the first county settlers lived, tilled the land, and built their cabins. On Sept. 5, 1859, Liberty was reduced to its present size and form. In 1847 the county was divided into three precincts, Washington, Spring and Liberty.
The first settler in the township was William Bennett, who settled in February of 1842. He built the first house in Quasqueton. S. G. Sanford came to the township a few weeks later. On April 30, 1842 a band of immigrants arrived. They were: R. B. Clark, Dr. E. Brewer, Frederick Kessler, J. Lambert, Simmons and Daggett, Mrs. R. B. Clark, Mrs. Frederick Kessler, Mason and Seth Clark and Sarah Kessler.
Clark and Brewer built the first house on the west side of the river. The first white child born in this township and the county was Charles Kessler. He died during the Civil War in April 1864. Allen Cordell, son of John Cordell died in the autumn of 1843 and was the first death in the township. In the summer of 1842, Styles came to Quasqueton and ran a hotel. In the same year William Bennett constructed a dam across the river. Edwin Fulton of Davenport purchased the land around Quasqueton. The first marriage was in March, 1846 between Dr. Edward Brewer and Mary Ann Hathaway.
Other early settlers in the community were William Hadden, Nathaniel and Henry Hatch and William Johnson. The first winter was very severe and supplies had to be brought from Dubuque by oxen.
The second precinct election was held in 1849 with 30 votes cast. The first officers elected were: N G. Gage, Clark Burnett, Galin Shurtliff, J. P. Miller, Morris Todd, A. Waldron, H. B. Hatch, William Logan and H. M. Stephens.
In 1852 a town well was dug and a bridge was built across the river. The Musquake and Winnebago Indians were numerous around Quasqueton at the time of the first settlers and trading was done with them.
The first school in Quasqueton opened for regular attendance in 1852.
The first post office was established in Quasqueton in 1848 with William Richards as post master. D. S. Davis had the first contract for carrying mail between Quasqueton and Dubuque. The compensation was $365 a year, $1 a day.
Quasqueton was the center for numerous Indian trails because of the well known ford there. Quasqueton means "swift running water" and was originally called "Quasquetuck". William Hadden purchased the land of Quasqueton in 1844. He also kept the first store. In 1844 he enlarged and completed the mill. D. S. Davis bought a great share of the Quasqueton land in 1846 when the town was platted and laid out.
The first bridge across the Wapsi at Quasqueton was destroyed by high water in 1858. The second bridge was built in 1865 and it too, was washed away. In 1867 the county built a bridge. The sawmill was torn away by raging water in 1878. On Jan. 1, 1881 the flour mill was destroyed by fire.
A school was constructed in 1855 in Quasqueton. Quasqueton was made an independent district in 1867 and S. W. Heath was the first president of the first board of directors. In 1869 a ward school house was built two miles east of town.
On May 2, 1904 over a whole business block was destroyed by fire. In 1910 the dam over the Wapsi was crushed by ice and water. Later the Plank brothers formed a park on the banks of the Wapsi at Quasqueton and called it Roadside Park.
The Chicago, Anamosa and Northern railroad was completed through Quasqueton in 1912, after 28 years in the process of building.
Among the churches and religious organizations in Quasqueton and the surrounding community are the following:
The Presbyterian church was organized by the Rev. Joseph Whitam and it was called the Free Presbyterian church. A church was built later known as the Hickory church two miles north of Quasqueton.
On June 26, 1853 a Congregational church was organized by the Rev. Alfred Wright and W. Reed. A brick church was constructed in 1854. The church building was remodeled and rebuilt several times. A Congregational church at Castleville was established in 1891.
The Newtonville Congregational church was moved to Kiene on June 28, 1914 and a $1,700 church was built on the old site.
Daniel Rowley was the first pastor of the Baptist church which was organized March 10, 1855. The first meetings were held in the Davis block in Quasqueton. The Baptist church building was first occupied in January of 1868.
The first religious meetings in Quasqueton are believed to have been of Presbyterian denomination. They were preached by a Wesleyan Methodist preacher, the Rev. G. G. Cummings. A Methodist Episcopal society was organized in 1852 by William H. Brown. A church for this society was built in 1855 in Quasqueton. In 1862 a Norton church was instituted in Homer township. The Rowley church was remodeled in 1914.
The State Savings bank was organized on July 28, 1902. It opened Dec. 2 with a capital stock of $20,000.
The Quasqueton Guardian newspaper was first published Dec. 13, 1856 by Mr. Rich and Mr. Jordan. Two years later they moved to Independence. In 1877 and 1878 the "People's Paper" was published by Vines. The "Quasquetonian" was first started as the "Mercury" by Osborne about 1890. After the great fire of 1904 he went out of business. Frank Vierth revived the paper in September of that year and it was still published in 1914.
Among the lodges in Quasqueton were the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Modern Brotherhood of America.
Quasqueton was incorporated in May of 1902. The first city council meeting was held May 28, C. B. Heath was mayor, M. I. Perry, treasurer, Councilmen were T. H. Kimball, A. T. Bidinger, A. D. Stoneman. L. M. White was the first town clerk.
The city purchased an electric light plant after the election on Dec. 14, 1912.
Used with permission of Bulletin Journal Conservative from the 1955 Centennial issue of the Conservative
The township of Madison was organized March 11, 1857. The first township election was held at the Charles Richmond home on April 6. The first officers elected were: John Marsell, Silas Ross, A. C. Bradley, Charles Bennett, J. B. Ward, Seth Paxton, S. M. Eddy and D. M. Brown.
The first settlement in the township was made in the fall of 1852 by Seymour Whitney. J. B. Ward settled in the township in 1853. Among the other early settlers were Silas Ross, Mark Whitney, Alden Whitney and E. R. Jenks.
In the summer of 1853 Silas Ross, Mark Whitney and J. B. Ward built a log school house. Mrs. Getty Riley was the first teacher. The first white child born in the township was Hiram Whitney, son of Mr. And Mrs. Seymour Whitney, who was born in 1854. The first death occurred in 1854 when David Cornell died.
The first cemetery in the township was established at Buffalo Grove in the southwest part of the township in 1857. A second cemetery was established at Ward's Corners.
A feed mill was constructed in 1856 by Mark Whitney and J. B. Ward and a saw mill was built at the same time. This was not a paying investment but in 1881 a second mill was built on the site of the first one.
Silas Ross raised the first crop of wheat in 1854, and the first store was kept by the Rev. W. Durfey at Ward's Corners. No hotel was built in the township until 1880 when Alfred Bush built a hotel and opened a tavern.
Seymour Whitney first deeded the land where the town of Lamont is located. The building of the Chicago, Great Western railroad insured the growth of Lamont. In 1875 a post office was established called Erie. Mr. Ward was appointed postmaster and had the name changed to Ward's Corners. When G. M. Foster was appointed postmaster in 1883 he changed the name of the office to Lamont.
John Dana was a pioneer blacksmith in 1857 but Charles Richmond is credited with having kept the first blacksmith shop in the township. The first store building was constructed by Willis Durfey in 1872. The next summer a creamery and a two-story building was built by John Stewart.
The Farmers Savings bank was organized March 3, 1910, with a capitol stock of $15,000. The Lamont Savings bank was incorporated April 4, 1892 with a capitol stock of $10,000. The first issue of the Lamont Reporter was issued May 17, 1893 by E. D. Alexander. In 1900 J. F. Davidson bought the paper and changed the name to the Lamont Leader.
The city of Lamont was surveyed in April 1886 by P. H. Warner. On Nov. 22, 1892 the residents voted to incorporate. A city water plant was procured in 1908 and it was the first public utility.
The first religious organization in the township was an order of Free Will Baptists organized on June 27, 1857. They met in the home of Cyrus Bailey. The Rev. S. Hutchinson was the first minister. A church was built later.
The Old School Baptist society was organized some time later. For the first six years the members met in the log school house. In 1871 the members constructed a frame house of worship and also a parsonage. The Lutheran church at Lamont was organized in 1898 and in 1900 a church and parsonage built.
Among lodges in the township and Lamont which are or have been active are the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, Modern Woodmen, Woodmen of the World, Mystic Toilers. All of the lodges had ladies auxiliaries.
With permission of Bulletin Journal Conservative from the 1955 Centennial issue of the Conservative
September 21, 1858 was the day that the township of Middlefield was organized. The first election was held in a school house and the officers elected were G. Smith, R. Stoneman, M. Broadstreet and Daniel Leatherman.
The township's first settler was Patrick Dunn. He settled in the area on April 2, 1850 on the banks of Buffalo Creek. Daniel Leatherman and family were the next settlers. They came to the county June 2, 1854 and built the first frame structure in the township. The stage from Dubuque to Coffins Grove passed by their house and each night they placed a light in an upstairs window to guide the travelers.
R. Stoneman settled in the township in 1855 and was Leatherman's first neighbor. He was a Wesleyan minister and conducted the first religious services in the area.
Among the other early settlers were William Broadstreet, a Mr. McWilliams and Stillman Berry.
A cemetery company was organized about 1874. The ground had previously been used for burial but the company was not organized until that year. A post office was established about 1872 with L. P. Stitson as the first postmaster. The office was called Middlefield.
(Editors note: The following stories and historical sketches of Buchanan County towns and townships are based on original accounts in the "History of Buchanan County" which was published in 1914 by Harry Church and Katharyn Chappell.)
The birth of Edward Leatherman on April 4, 1855 was the first in the township. The first wedding vows in the township were exchanged by Willard S. Blair and Permelia Ann Leatherman.
The first crop in the township was raised by Patrick Dunn and consisted of turnips, sod corn and potatoes. He also raised the first wheat crop in the township in 1851.
The first school was taught in a house constructed by the residents and was paid for by subscription. The first teacher was Malinda Gageby, later Mrs. Samuel Braden.
Used with permission of Bulletin Journal Conservative from the 1955 Centennial issue of the Conservative
The first election in Newton township, which was organized July 20, 1854, was held in August at the school house in the south part of the township. First men to hold office were Charles Hoover, Reuben C. Walton, Jesse McPike, Amos Long and Green Berry.
Joseph Austin was the first permanent settler. He built a cabin by a spring at the edge of some timber in the township. Reuben Walton settled in 1847 near Austin's home. Other early settlers who chose to make the township their home were W. H. Harris, W. Ogden, Charles Hoover, Martin C. Glass, Jesse McPike, Henry M. Holman and Andrew Whisenand.
The first death in the township was a daughter of James Brown in September of 1853. Leonard Austin was the first white child born in the township in the winter of 1847. The first wedding was that of Isaac Arwin and Jane Holman in 1855. Reuben Walton conducted the ceremonies.
The first store in the township was kept by J. S. Long in the south part of the township. A post office was established, called Newton Center in the summer of 1855. The first postmaster was Ulysses Geiger. In 1873 the office was transferred to the center of the township and Samuel Hoover was appointed postmaster.
A cemetery was established in the south part of the township in 1853. In 1856 a cemetery was established near the Catholic church. In 1880 a cemetery association was formed.
The first religious meetings were held by the Methodists at the Reuben Walton home about 1853. Samuel Farlow was the first minister for the congregation. A Christian church was organized in 1853. In 1870 a church and parsonage were built at Monti.
The Protestant Methodist society was organized in 1858 at the Hoover school house.
The first schools were maintained by subscription. The first school was opened in 1848 in the south part of the township. It was taught by Ned Bartly. In 1850 a log school house was built and later a district school was constructed.
Used with permission of Bulletin Journal Conservative from the 1955 Centennial issue of the Conservative
Perry township was organized Feb. 17, 1853 and the first election was held at the John Cameron home on April 4. Officers elected were Henry Bright, W. S. Clark, Charles Melrose, Gamaliel Walker and John H. Anderson.
The first settler was Charles Melrose who settled in June of 1849. Gamaliel Walker and James Minton settled in the northwest part of the township. Other early settlers were John Cameron, H. S. Bright, Martin Depoy, Jacob Slaughter and James Shrack.
The first store was kept by Sufficool and Marshall in 1856, at the present site of Littleton. The first hotel was owned and operated by B. C. Hale in Littleton.
John Cameron brought the first plow to the township. The first mail carrier was John Cameron, and the first postmaster was Charles Melrose. The first wedding was held in the John Cameron home in 1852 for Martin Campbell and Emilene Cameron. The daughter of Isaac Spencer was the first white person in the township to die. The birth of Nancy Melrose on April 1, 1850 was the first birth in the township.
The first bridge in the township was across the Wapsie at Littleton.
The beginning of the town of Jesup is said to have come with the arrival of the Illinois Central railroad in 1860. The small village of Barclay in Black Hawk county was relocated at Jesup at that time. The first store in Jesup was kept by R. S. Searls who was also postmaster. The first blacksmith was A. Grattan. A Mr. Marvin is believed to have kept the first hotel before the railroad was built.
In the 1880's and 1890's there was a militia company in existence in Jesup. It was company I of the First Iowa National Guard. The company was organized Feb. 17, 1877 with F. C. Merrill as captain. A shirt factory also existed in Jesup in the spring of 1880 and was owned by R. and H. Cook.
The town of Jesup was incorporated March 8, 1876. The first officers were John Anderson, mayor; G. E. Marsh, recorder; H. M. Grayton, G. O. Marsh, Mura(t) Sayles, E. Parker and I. A. Stoddard as trustees. In the election of 1881 the people voted to abolish saloons in the town.
The water supply of the city was first established as a public utility in 1903. The water was first pumped from the wells by air pressure but in 1911 the plant blew up. The city then constructed a tank tower.
The Jesup State bank was organized Oct. 11, 1901 with capital stock of $25,000. The bank opened for business on Jan. 28, 1902. In 1912 the building was enlarged.
The Farmers bank of Jesup, of which the Farmers State bank is the successor, was organized in 1879 as a private bank. On Dec. 30, 1882 the affairs of the Farmers bank of Jesup were cleared up and on the same date the First National bank of Jesup, with $50,000 capital was organized by the former owners of the Farmers bank. In 1886 the First National bank liquidated affairs. The owners then formed the Farmers bank. The Farmers bank continued in the banking business until June 24, 1903 when it was succeeded by the Farmers State bank.
The first newspaper in the town was the Jesup Recorder. This was started in the spring of 1869 by Cole and Shiner. It continued about a year. About 1874 W. H. Hutton started the Jesup Vindicator, which he moved to Independence in 1879 and called the Buchanan County Messenger. On Oct. 10, 1879 A. H. Farwell established the Buchanan County Journal, which he moved to Independence in 1881, joining the Bulletin of Independence.
The Jesup Times started in the 80's was owned by many people. This paper was printed until 1891. In 1899 F. R. Place started the publication of the Citizens Herald. The name was changed to the Jesup News and then back to the Citizens Herald.
Among the lodges in the township and Jesup which have been or are active are Perry Lodge No. 158, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Parkersburg Encampment No. 62, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, Knights of Pythias, Modern Woodmen of America, Modern Brotherhood of America, Mystic Toilers, Yeomen John A. Davis post, Grand Army of the Republic.
The village of Littleton came into existence in 1856. A store, hotel, blacksmith shop and saw and grist mill were built that year. At one time Littleton was known as Chatham. The Pleasant Grove Seminary was situated in the suburbs of Littleton.
In 1864 Charles Reynolds was appointed postmaster to fill the vacancy caused by a resignation. In 1910 the post office was discontinued. Little by little, Littleton began to diminish in population and in size.
A Methodist Episcopal society was organized in Perry township at the home of John Cameron in 1853. The first man to preach to the five members was the Rev. Ashcouch. After a few years the church was moved to Littleton.
A Methodist society was organized in Jesup in 1860 and they held their first services in a hall and school house. In the year 1869 they constructed a frame church and later a parsonage was built. The Baptist society in Jesup was organized in September 1866. Their first services were held in the public school house. A house of worship was dedicated Feb. 19, 1871.
The first Presbyterian society in Jesup was organized June 4, 1853 in the northeast part of the township, James S. Fullerton was the first minister. The first house of worship was constructed in 1865. A new church was built in 1899. The second Presbyterian society of Jesup was established April 20, 1856. This society was composed largely of former members of the Barclay church. J. D. Caldwell was the first minister and a house of worship was built soon after the organization. Both churches merged sometime during the 1890's.
In 1863 Rev. G. Gosker made occasional visits to Jesup and celebrated mass in private homes. This marked the beginning of the St. Athanasius church. In 1895 a parsonage was erected and in 1898 a new church building was constructed.
Used with permission of the Bulletin Journal Conservative from the 1955 Centennial issue.
The first organization of Washington township by order of the courts was as early as 1848. The township then included the congressional townships of Washington, Hazleton, Perry, and Fairbank.
It is believed that the first settlement in the township was made by Isaac Hathaway. He settled in September, 1845 about two miles east of Independence. During the winters of 1845 and 1846 he went to Center Point to purchase corn at 25 cents a bushel. Supplies were brought mostly from Dubuque.
The next spring after he settled he raised his first crop of wheat and fenced in about 80 acres of land. He left his land in about 12 years.
The first school taught in Washington township was conducted in Hathaway's log home in the winter of 1846. Among other early settlers in the township were John Obenchain, Oscar Wickham, Michael Ginther, Thomas Barr and John Boone.
Otterville is the only village in the township and is located near Otter Creek. The town was platted in 1857 by Robert T. Young who owned the ground. James Dryer built and operated a sawmill there in 1854. Three years later a gristmill was constructed. The sawmill was closed in 1878.
In 1855 a wagon shop was opened by Enoch and Zachariah Hall and a blacksmith shop was started by Homer Sanders.
The post office in Otterville was opened about 1860 and the first postmaster was George L. Wilcox. The office was discontinued on July 15, 1902. The first store was established in the village in the winter of 1861 and was open until 1875. A hotel was opened in 1863 by Mr. Robertson. The first bridge across Otter Creek at this point was built in 1868.
The Methodist Episcopal religious organization was established in Otterville during the first year of the Civil War. The society disbanded prior to the organization of the Presbyterian society but it was reorganized about 1895.
The Presbyterian church at Otterville was organized May 19, 1889. A new church building was dedicated August 30, 1896.
In the year 1872 the Union Grange No. 525 of Otterville decided to sponsor an annual fair to display farm products, stock and other items.
Used with permission of the Bulletin Journal Conservative from the 1955 Conservative Centennial issue.
On August 6, 1860 Westburg township was organized. The name of the township was selected when residents met to draw up the petition to be presented to the court for the formation of the township.
The first election was held at the home of John R. Sabin. There were 16 voters in the township at the time. Officers elected were I. N. Myers, John Bowder, M. D. Weston, P. G. Davis, Eli Lozer, John R. Sabin, D. M. Noyes, Isaac Williamson and R. A. Whitlock.
The first permanent settlement in the township was made by Peter Cox who settled in 1849 with his mother and built the first cabin in the section. About a month after settling he purchased his land from the government. Among the other early settlers were D. M. Noyes, Peter Ham, J. H. Goen, L. B. Wilkinson, John R. Sabin, Philip Ham, Patrick Shine, M. D. Weston, John Bowder.
The first wedding in the township was that of Isaac Wilkinson and Mary E. Noyes May 3, 1864. The Rev. Edward Champlin performed the ceremony.
The first school in the township was opened in 1861 at the house of D. M. Noyes and there were 10 scholars. George Fuller was the teacher. The same winter there was another school opened in the William Wilkinson home with eight students taught by Libby Murphy. The next spring two schools were built.
The post office at the settlement of Vista
was discontinued on Dec. 31, 1904. The Methodist church at Vista was organized
in 1878. An old church constructed by the Baptists many years before served as a
church.
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