Towns - Post Offices - Rail Stops of Jefferson County

"LIBERTYVILLE.  In Liberty Township; first known as "The Colony," In 1845 John Pitzer was employed to survey and Plat a town site. Plat, p. 26, 1909 Atlas. P.O. Est. 3 Feb 1856 with John Jewett as postmaster; then came A. N. Bissell; Henry Karne was postmaster in 1859. Methodist church erected in 1846; Presbyterian organized in 1850. In 1879 the town boasted three general stores, dry goods store, lumber yard, grain elevator, a hotel, wagon and carriage shop, harness shop, two shoe shops, one cabinet shop, blacksmith shop, a saloon, meat market and barber shop. Libertyville today is definitely not a "ghost" town."
The above information was compiled by Mary Prill and published in the Hawkeye Heritage, July 1967.

Fairfield, Iowa "WEEKLY JOURNAL"
Jefferson County
Vol. VI, # 31, May 29, 1884, pg. 1.
Transcribed by Debbie Nash

Jefferson County Towns.
LIBERTYVILLE.
The editor of THE JOURNAL for several years past has had a warm side for Libertyville, and from time to time has made frequent visits to the village, but last Friday, we might say, in one sense, was the first business trip we ever made to the place.

Libertyville, as is well known, is situated six miles southwest of here on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway, in the heart of one of the finest and most prosperous farming communities in the county. It is a pretty little village of some three hundred inhabitants, is an excellent trading point, possesses two houses of worship - Presbyterian and Methodist - and has a fine school under the management of Prof. Tally, assisted by Miss Monger.

Dr. Ichabod Warner is the oldest business man in the place and carries a general stock, consisting of dry-goods, notions, groceries, drugs, medicines, and does a business of several thousand dollars annually. He is a reliable and accommodating dealer, and a good man for the place.

The physicians of the place are Dr. J. W. Hayden and Dr. W. K. Miller, both well read, reliable, trustworthy and popular.

John F. Loehr is one of the largest and most extensive dealers here. He carries a well selected stock of dry-goods, notions and groceries, and makes a specialty of handling all kinds of country produce. He is an enterprising and wide-awake dealer, and one of the very best citizens of the village.

J. W. Fry is the "Nasby" of Libertyville and gives good satisfaction. He is attentive, painstaking and obliging. John carries a splendid stock of groceries and has a large and increasing trade.

Libertyville is fortunate in having one of the very best Creamers in the county. It is run by Mr. G. W. Coyan, who evidently understands his business, and it don’t take a buttermilk customer like us long to discover that he is "the right man in the right place."

George Pratt is a young dealer of the place, but he carries such an excellent stock of groceries and provisions, and is so clever and accommodating that he has drawn around him a trade equal to any of them.

The store of Moore & Jackson was but recently established here, but everything they carry is new and first-class, and in excellent shape, and Taylor and Asbury are so well known throughout Liberty and Des Moines townships, that they are getting a goodly share of the patronage.

J. F. Potts has a good stock of lumber, and is a solid and substantial citizen of the place.

Frank Winn, according to Longfellow, is "the village blacksmith," and while he does not do business "under a spreading chestnut tree," yet "week in, week out, from morn till night, you can hear his bellows blow."

W. T. Hague is the station agent and telegraph operator of the "Great Rock Island Route," and is one of the most efficient and popular agents along the line of the road.

Adam Wilson sells Mason & Hamlin organs and Eldridge Sewing Machines, and "gets away" with competition every time.

Barney Gifford runs an excellent meat market, and supplies the community with choice fresh and salt meats. He also runs the only saloon in the place and declares he will continue after the Fourth.

S. C. Laughlin is absolutely the noisiest man in Libertyville, and it was with difficulty that we got him to cease talking about his two fine Morgan stallions long enough to take his subscription for the largest and best weekly paper in Jefferson county.

Goodman Brothers manufacture the "Ladies’ Choice Washing Machine," which is one of the very best machines made in this section of Iowa, as hundreds of women throughout Jefferson and adjoining counties will testify. We notice they have an endorsement from Mrs. N. A. Yancey, of this city, and all our people will agree with us in saying that what Mrs. Yancey don’t know about washing machines is not worth knowing.