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         The settlement of this vicinity was made chiefly by members of the Society of Friends. In 1849, John H. Painter began improvements in the northeast corner of the township, in the northeast quarter of Section 1. Mr. Painter had previously lived in Iowa Township, and did not move to Springdale for a year after he began improvements.

         In 1850, Ann Coppic settled on the east half of the southeast quarter of Section 1. There she built a frame house, which she still occupies. She afterward married Joseph Raley, who died April 1, 1878, aged 87 years. Her house was the first in that part of the township, where she is the oldest settler. Her son Edwin was hung at Harper’s Ferry, for participation in the John Brown raid to free the negroes, fuller mention of which is elsewhere made.

         Levi Leland, the old temperance lecturer, who improved the place where D. B. Morrison now resides, settled on the southwest quarter of Section 2, in 1850. After a few years he moved West, and is now in Oregon. His wife and family are old residents of Tipton. Moses Varney settled in the Fall of 1850, on the west half of the northeast quarter of Section 10, where he built a house and lived with his family for some time. He now resides in Springdale, on the southwest quarter of Section 1.

         Levi Fawcett came the same year to the southwest quarter of Section 12, where he lived with his family. He died in 1859, and his family now reside in Johnson County.

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         Dr. H. C. Gill came to Springdale in 1850, and began the practice of medicine, which he has continued to the present time. Dr. Gill purchased the location of this present residence and built in 1852. In 1851, Benjamin Ball came and built the house now owned by J. T. Carson, on the southwest quarter of Section 1, owned for many years by Jesse Bowersock. John Heald settled at Hickory Grove, and Eli Heald where Israel Heald resides. Within the next two years there was a rapid increase in this settlement. Many of the primitive houses were built in a very rude manner (the lumber having to be hauled from Muscatine) with what was called a balloon frame, the boards being put on up and down; they were sometimes occupied for months without battening or plastering; the occupants suffered much from the intensely cold winds, which prevailed unobstructed in those early days. The only barns were formed by planting forked sticks in the ground, with poles for rafters, and covered with slough hay, the sides being sheated with the same material or straw, by leaning up poles and piling the hay or straw upon them. Often the sides were formed by stacks of hay or straw.

         The first goods were sold in 1851, by Louis Schofield and Thomas Winn, who built a store on the southeast corner of the southwest half of the southeast quarter of Section 1, and opened a store. Mr. Winn was Postmaster. Mr. Schofield remained but a short time, and after about ten years the store was continued by Wilson Heald and Elias Macy. The former is still a resident of the township, while the latter is living in South America. Mr. Winn died at Newport, R.I., within a few years.

         About 1853, Jesse Bowersock built a store room on the southeast corner of the southwest quarter of Section 1, on the site of the present store of Elwood Macy and Thomas Fawcett, having previously kept a store on his farm, the northwest half of the northeast quarter of Section 6, Iowa township, where he settled in 1844. After several years, Mr. Bowersock removed to West Liberty, thence to California. Heald & Macy’s stock was transferred to Thomas James and Ignatius Hook. The latter is now in Texas. James Smith and Ed. Manfull bought them out. Mr. Smith’s interest was soon sold to Jonathan Maxson. Then Thomas Townsend, who died in Texas, and Joseph Gue, who is now near Omaha, Nebraska, operated the store, and were followed by Joseph Steer, proprietor, with John A. Gill, manager; then followed John C. & Samuel Chambers, then Macy & Smith.

         The present proprietors of this store which has been a prominent feature of Springdale from its beginning, are Messrs. Elwood Macy and Thomas Fawcett. The former was the Representative to the last State Legislature from this County.

         The first blacksmith at Springdale was Eli Heald, about 1853. He was followed, in 1856, by Ed. Manfull, who, in turn, was succeeded about ten years later by Sol. Heald. He sold to Samuel Morrison, who still continues in that business and in wagon repairing.

         George Randall at present operates another shop.

         S. J. Lundy has a steam machine shop and has patented a gang plow which will soon be manufactured.

         The carriage manufactory of D. Schooley is located here; it has been in successful operation about fourteen years and does as fine work as can be found in Iowa, with a capacity of about $10,000 per year. He has large, roomy shops and his carriages have a reputation for durability and elegance not surpassed.

         Among the present business interests of Springdale, are the following: General store—A. Raley & Co., Mather Bros. (also drugs), Macy & Fawcett . . .

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. . . Boots, shoes, tobacco and cigars—Edward Sexsmith. Flour, pumps, etc.—M. V. Butler. Furniture and undertaking—S. E. Thomas. Millinery—Mrs. Libbie Gill. Meat Market—Elzy Maxson. Harness shop—J. Zwickey. Carpenter shops—Townsend, Thomas & Son, Henry Wesley. Physicians—Dr. H. C. Gill, Dr. H. C. Darner. Dilworth Schooley, carriage manufacturer. H. C. Gill, Justice of the Peace and Notary Public. William Mather, Postmaster.

         The first mail facilities for this region was a hack line in 1850, running from Davenport to Iowa City, operated by George Albin, and afterward by Joseph Albin. This line was run by them for about twenty-one years. The latter carried the mail from his 11th to his 32d year, and now resides in West Branch.

         One great impediment which the early settlers encountered was the soft and miry conditions of the sloughs in many places. They were bottomless, so far as was known at that time; most of them were without channels, and the water spread out over the entire bottom. When there were channels, the only bridges were of poles and went down stream with every heavy rain, and had to be hunted up and carried back by hand, as teams could not get to them.

         The Cold Spring Cheese Factory is operated by a stock company under the name of G. P. Smith & Co., Joseph Hall, Nathan Saterwaite and Lindley Holloway, being the other partners. It was organized in 1873, and two large and well-arranged buildings containing two 600-gallon vats, were erected near the southeast corner of the southeast quarter of Section 2.

         Mr. Smith has manufactured cheese on his farm for many years, but since the decrease in the market price of other farm products, many farmers in this vicinity have purchased a large number of cows, from ten to seventy-five each, and give support to the cheese factory. The farmers furnish milk; a salesman and treasurer, at present Mr. Ira L. Spencer, is appointed to sell and report the product of the factory. The proceeds are paid to the patrons proportionately, after deducting two cents per pound, which goes to the proprietors of the factory for manufacturing. For milk, the patrons were paid about eighty-five cents per hundred pounds during 1877, and about twelve cheeses were manufactured per day. The amount will be greatly increased the present year. J. O. Spencer is the cheese maker in charge.