The young people who
enjoy the excellent opportunities offered by the
public schools of Lee County in the year 1914 can
hardly realize the difficulties that attended the
acquisition of an education during the territorial era
and the early days of statehood. There were then no
public funds with which to build schoolhouses and pay
teachers. When a sufficient number of settlers had
located in a neighbor- hood they would cooperate in
the erection of a schoolhouse at some central point,
where it would be most convenient for the children.
These early schoolhouses were invariably of logs, with
clapboard roof and puncheon floor (sometimes they had
no floor except "mother earth") and a huge fireplace
at one end. If money enough could be raised in the
settlement to purchase sash and glass, a real window
would be placed in each side of the building. If not,
a section of one of the logs would be left out and the
aperture covered with oiled paper, mounted on a
framework of slender strips of wood, to admit the
light.
The furniture was of the most primitive character.
Seats were made by splitting a tree of some eight or
ten inches in diameter in halves, smoothing the split
sides with a draw-knife, and driving pins into holes
bored in the half-round sides for legs. These pins
stood at an angle that would insure stability to the
"bench." Under the window was the writing desk, which
was made by boring holes in the logs of the wall at a
slight angle and into these holes were driven stout
pins to support a wide board, the top of which would
be dressed smooth to serve as a table where the pupils
could take their turns at writing.
The text books were usually Webster's spelling book,
the English or McGuffey's readers, Pike's, Daboll's,
Talbott's or Ray's arithmetics, and in some instances
Olney's geography and Kirkham's or But- ler's rammar.
The teacher of that day was rarely a graduate of a
higher institution of learning and knew nothing of
normal school training. If he could spell and read
well, write well enough to "set copies" for the
children to follow, and "do all the sums" in the
arithmetic, up to and including the "Rule of Three,"
he was qualified to teach. There was, however, one
other qualification that could not be overlooked. The
teacher must be a man of sufficient physical strength
to hold the unruly and boisterous boys in subjection
and preserve order. At the opening of the term he
generally brought into the schoolroom a supply of
tough switches, which were displayed to the best
advantage as a sort of prophylactic, and the pioneer
pedagogue then proceeded on the theory that "to spare
the rod was to spoil the child." Not many children
were spoiled.
On the theory that no one could become a good reader
without being a good speller, more attention was given
to orthography during the child's early school years
than to any other subject. Spelling schools of
evenings were of frequent occurrence, and in these
matches the parents always took part. Two "captains"
would be selected to "choose up," and one that won the
first choice would choose the one he regarded as the
best speller present, and so on until the audience was
divided into two equal sides. Then the teacher "gave
out" the words alternately from side to side. When one
"missed" a word he took his seat. The one who stood
longest won the victory, and to "spell down" a whole
school district was considered quite an
achievement.
After the child could spell fairly well he was given
the reader. Then came the writing exercises. The
copy-books of that period were of the "home-made"
variety, consisting of a few sheets of fools- cap
paper covered with a sheet of heavy wrapping paper. At
the top of the page the teacher would write the
'"copy," which was usually a motto or proverb intended
to convey a moral lesson as well as to afford an
example of penmanship; such as "Time and tide wait for
no man," "Learn to unlearn that which you have learned
amiss," etc. As the term of school was rarely over
three months, and the same teacher hardly ever taught
two terms in the same place, the style of penmanship
would change with every change of teachers, and it is
a wonder that the young people of that day learned to
write as well as many of them did.
Next came the arithmetic. In the pronunciation of this
word the sound of the first letter was frequently
dropped, and the fact that Readin', 'Ritin' and
'Rithmetic were considered the essentials of a
practical education gave rise to the expression "the
three R's." If one understood "the three R's" he was
equipped for the great battle of life, so far as
ordinary business transactions were concerned.
But conditions in educational matters have kept pace
with the civic and industrial progress of the county.
The old log schoolhouse has passed away and in its
place has come the commodious structure of brick or
stone. No longer do the pupils have to be subjected to
the "one-sided" heat of the old fireplace, where some
of them would almost roast while others froze. The
bundle of "gads" is no longer displayed as a terror to
evil-doers and corporal punishment is no longer
considered a necessary part of the course of study.
Yet, under the old system, chief justices, United
States senators, professional men who afterward
achieved world-wide reputations, and even presidents
of the United States acquired their rudimentary
education in the old log schoolhouse.
The first school in Lee County, which was also the
first in the present State of Iowa, was taught by
Berryman Jennings at Nashville in 1830. Concerning
this school, Capt. James W. Campbell, who was one of
Mr. Jennings' pupils, said in an address before the
Old Settlers' Association in 1875: "There was a small
log house, 10 by 12 feet in size, used for a
schoolroom. I remember well some of my schoolmates
here, whose names are Tolliver Dedman, James Dedman,
Thomas Brierly and Washington Galland. Over this
literary institution, which I suppose was the first
school taught in Iowa, Berryman Jennings presided as
teacher. I remember him well, for when kind and
oft-repeated words failed to impress upon the memory
of Washington Galland and myself the difference
between A and B, he had neither delicacy nor hesitancy
about applying the rod, which usually brightened our
intellects."
In the same address, Captain Campbell referred to the
second teacher to whom he went to school, and who
probably taught the second school in the county, which
was at Keokuk. Says he: "Farther back on the side of
the hill, stood John Forsyth's little log cabin, which
was occupied in 1833 by a venerable gentleman of the
name of Jesse Creighton, a shoemaker. Finding it
rather difficult to sup- port himself at his trade,
owing to our custom of going barefooted in summer and
wearing moccasins in the winter, he was induced to
open a private school, and his pupils were Valencourt
Van Ausdal, Forsyth Morgan, Henry D. and Mary
Bartlett, John Riggs, George Crawford, Eliza Anderson
and myself. The attendance was small, but our number
embraced about all the little folks in Keokuk at that
time. But few as we were in numbers, we convinced
Uncle Jesse that we were legions at recess, for we
frequently upset his shoe-bench and shoe-tub, which
caused the old gentleman to reach for us with his
crooked cane.
"At this first school taught in Keokuk, I made rapid
progress, for I learned to read Chieftain, Warrior,
Winnebago, Enterprise, William Wallace and Ouisconsin,
the names of the steamboats that landed immediately in
front of our schoolhouse. My rapid progress was owing
to the privilege of looking out of the window at these
boats and drawing their pictures upon a slate."
Such is the testimony of one who attended the earliest
schools in Lee County. Captain Campbell has been
quoted at length, that the readers of the younger
generation may learn what kind of educational
facilties were provided for the children of four score
years ago.
West Point Academy
On January 23, 1839, the governor of Iowa approved an
act of the General Assembly incorporating the West
Point Academy. The incorporators named in the act
were: John Box, William Patterson, A. H. Walker, Cyrus
Poage, Joseph Howard, J. Price, Isaac Beeler, Abraham
Hunsicker, A. Ewing, Hawkins Taylor, Campbell Gilmer,
David Walker, William Steele and Solomon Jackson. A
building was erected, but the school was not opened
until the first Monday in June, 1842, with Rev. John
M. Fulton, a Presbyterian minister, as
principal.
The Presbyterian Church continued in control of the
school, which was conducted as an academy until June
12, 1847, when Abraham and Mary Hunsicker executed a
quit-claim deed to the Des Moines College, the
consideration being $1. On July 26, 1864, Solomon
Cowles, president, and B. F. Woodman, secretary, and
the trustees of the college executed a warranty deed
to the West Point corporation school district for a
consideration of $400 and the old academy became a
part of the public school system of Lee County.
Denmark Academy
When Timothy Fox, Curtis Shedd and Lewis Epps laid off
the Town of Denmark they agreed to donate one-half the
proceeds arising from the sale of lots to the support
of a school which would afford the children of the
community better advantages than were supplied by the
common schools of that early period. By a special act
of the Iowa Legislature, approved on February 3, 1843,
the Den- mark Academy was incorporated, with Isaac
Field, Oliver Brooks, Hartwell J. Taylor, Asa Turner,
Jr., and Reuben Brackett as the first board of
trustees. They continued in office for a number of
years, being reelected at each annual meeting.
The fund arising from the sale of lots was designated
as a part of the capital stock and was to constitute a
permanent fund, only the interest to be used. Other
stock was issued in shares of $25 each, and the annual
income of the institution was limited to $3,000. The
first term of the academy was opened in September,
1845, in the Congregational Church at Denmark, with
Albert A. Sturgis, of Washington, Iowa, as principal.
He continued at the head of the school until 1848,
when he went East to study for the ministry.
In that year a building was erected especially for the
use of school, at a cost of $2,500, and George W.
Drake was placed in charge of the academy. Mr. Drake
was succeeded by H. K. Edson in 1852. Shortly after
the close of the Civil war, the school grew to such
proportions that the new building was erected, the old
one forming an addition. The cost of the new structure
was about seven- teen thousand dollars. After its
completion the old charter and stock were placed in
the hands of a board of fourteen trustees, under the
provisions of new articles of incorporation as
provided for by the general laws of Iowa. Under the
new articles, the board of trustees assumed the sole
management of the school, with power to fill
vacancies, thus making the board a self-perpetuating
body. The school is still in existence and a library
is maintained in connection with the academy.
Public School System
Article IX of the constitution of the State of Iowa is
devoted to the subject of education and school lands.
Section 1 provides that "The educational interest of
the state, including common schools and other
educational institutions, shall be under the
management of a board of education, which shall
consist of the lieutenant-governor, who shall be the
presiding officer of the board, and have the cast- ing
vote in case of a tie, and one member to be selected
from each judicial district in the state."
Section 12 of the same article sets forth that "The
board of education shall provide for the education of
all the youths of the state, through a system of
common schools, and such schools shall be organized
and kept in each school district at least three months
in each year. Any district failing, for two
consecutive years, to organize and keep up a school,
as aforesaid, may be deprived of their portion of the
school fund."
In that part of the constitution relating to the
school lands, it is provided that "The proceeds of all
lands that have been, or hereafter may be, granted by
the United States to this state, for the support of
schools, which may have been or shall hereafter be
sold, or disposed of, and the 500,000 acres of land
granted to the new states under an act of Congress,
distributing the proceeds of the public lands among
the several states of the Union, approved in the year
of our Lord, 1841, and all estates of deceased persons
who may have died without leaving a will or heir, and
also such per cent as has been or may hereafter be
granted by Congress, on the sale of lands in this
state, shall be, and remain a perpetual fund, the
interest of which, together with all rents of the
unsold lands, and such other means as the Gen- eral
Assembly may provide, shall be inviolably appropriated
to the support of the common schools throughout the
state."
These and other wise provisions laid down by the
founders of the state government, supplemented by laws
passed by the General Assembly, have given to the
state a common school system equal to that of any
other state in the American Union. Pursuant to the
laws, the income from the perpetual fund, money
received from fines, and "all other moneys subject to
the support and maintenance of common schools," are
distributed to the school districts of the state in
pro- portion to the number of persons between the ages
of five and twenty- one years.
According to the county superintendent's report for
the year 1913, the amount of the state apportionment
to Lee County was $3,062.02. In addition to this the
county received for school purposes $239.60 from
school fund interest, $828.15 from fines, and
$9,318.03 from the one-mill school tax levied by the
county authorities, making a total of $13,447.80
available for educational purposes during the year.
The total number of children enumerated was
10,258.
In the chapters on Township History will be found some
account of the early schools, as far as reliable
information concerning them could be obtained, as well
as statistics showing the condition of the public
schools in each township. From the report of the
county superintendent of schools for the year ending
on June 30, 1914, it is learned that the number of
teachers employed in the public schools of the county
during the preceding school year was 249 ; that the
number of pupils enrolled was 6,196; that the average
length of term in the townships, towns and cities was
8 l / 2 months, and that the value of school buildings
was $445,350. This estimate of value does not include
the grounds upon which the schoolhouses are situated
nor the cost of the apparatus purchased with public
funds for use in the schoolrooms. Including the value
of grounds and apparatus shows that in 1914 Lee County
had approximately half a million dollars permanently
invested in her educational institutions.
Keokuk Schools
The first school in Keokuk, taught by Jesse Creighton,
has already been described. John McKean, another early
teacher, taught in a round log schoolhouse, 16 by r8
feet, which stood near the corner of Third and Johnson
streets. Prior to 1853 none of the schoolhouses was
more than one story high, and none had more than one
room, which was just large enough to accommodate the
teacher and probably twenty-five scholars. In 1853 the
Central school building was erected. It took its name
from the location, which was supposed to be the most
convenient for the school children of the city, and
was afterward taken for a high school building.
In 1865 the Wells school building was erected at a
cost of about eighteen thousand dollars. It was really
the first modern school building in the Gate City.
Between that time and 1875 the Carey and Torrence
school buildings were erected, and they have been
followed by the Garfield, Lincoln, George Washington,
McKinley, Hilton and Price Creek schools. The last
named two are small schools, employing but one teacher
each. In 1914 an addition was made to the Lincoln
school building and the two new houses, known as the
Jefferson and Garfield schools, were erected at a cost
of over eighty thou- sand dollars. The new Garfield
building is to replace the old school of that name,
but the Jefferson school, located at the junction of
Twenty-second and Bank streets, is a new structure.
The new buildings contain all modern conveniences in
the way of cloakrooms, toilets, sanitary drinking
fountains, etc., and are second to none in the State
of Iowa.
According to the county superintendent's report for
the year ending on June 30, 1914, the number of
teachers employed in the Keokuk schools during the
preceding school term was seventy-three. The number of
pupils enrolled was 2,501 and the value of school
buildings was estimated at $285,000, but those figures
do not include the two new buildings above mentioned.
The superintendent of the city schools at that time
was William Aid rich.
Fort Madison Schools
A Miss Jannings taught the first school in the Town of
Fort Madison, but the exact date when she taught is
somewhat uncertain. She soon afterward went with her
parents to Salem, Henry County. The second school was
taught by a man named Rathburn, said to have been
"half white, quarter Indian and quarter negro." Alfred
Rich, of whom further mention is made in the chapter
on the Bench and Bar, opened a school in 1837. All
these early schools were of the subscription type,
where the teacher charged so much for each pupil and
took his pay in whatever commodity he could get, owing
to the scarcity of actual money during the early
days.
As late as 1886 Fort Madison had but one four- room
schoolhouse, which was located at the corner of Fifth
and Pine streets. The high school was taught in the
basement of the Baptist Church and several rooms were
rented, wherever they could be obtained, for the
accommodation of other grades. In the spring of 1886
the people, by popular vote, authorized the issue of
bonds to the amount of $15,000 for the erection of a
modern school building on Fifth Street near Market.
The same year the board of education bought the Atlee
building in the Fourth Ward for $2,500.
Then came the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe
Railroad, and with the completion of the shops there
was a demand for school accommodations in the west
end. To meet this demand, the Richardson school
building, at the corner of Santa Fe and Vermont
avenues, and the Jefferson school, at the corner of
Second Street and Union Avenue, were erected in
1889.
The building erected in 1886 was used as a high school
until 189c;, when the people again authorized a bond
issue, this time for $35,000, for a modern high school
structure, to be located on Third Street, just east of
Maple. Since then the old high school building has
been known as the Lincoln school, and in the eastern
part of the city is the Jackson school, located at the
corner of Third and Oak streets.
In these five buildings forty-one teachers were
employed during the school year of 1914, under the
superintendency of F. A. Welch. The number of pupils
enrolled in all departments was 1,198, and the value
of school buildings was estimated by the county
superintendent in his report as sixty-five thousand
dollars. In 1914 the Jefferson school building was
condemned and a new one was erected at a cost of about
twenty-two thousand dollars. Manual training and
domestic science are taught in both the Keokuk and
Fort Madison schools.
Public School in Fort Madison at Fifth and Pixe
Erected in the early 1850s
Parochial Schools
In Lee County there are a number of schools maintained
by the Catholic Church. The school in St. Joseph's
parish, at Fort Madison, was established in 1840,
Father Alleman, the pastor, being the first teacher.
The school in 1914 occupied two buildings — the old
church building remodeled and one across the street
for primary pupils — and was under the charge of the
Sisters of Humility. St. Mary's school, at the corner
of Fourth and Vine streets, was established in 1865.
The present building, erected in 1895, is provided
with a lecture room, with stage, etc. In 1893 the
Sacred Heart school was opened in the west end, in
connection with the parish of that name.
Keokuk has two parish schools — St. Peter's and St.
Mary's. Both are housed in substantial brick
structures and are in a prosperous condition.
Graduates from the former school are privileged to
enter the State University without further
examination. As early as 1853 the Convent of the
Visitation of St. Mary was founded in Keokuk by
Sisters of the Visitation. It was located on the
heights overlooking the Mississippi River and soon
became a female school of high order. Before the
public school system of the city attained to its
present efficiency, many Keokuk girls attended this
institution.
Parochial schools are also maintained in connection
with the Catholic churches at West Point, St. Paul and
Houghton.
The Press
Through the dissemination of general news and
information, or the publication of special articles on
scientific, economic or industrial subjects, the
newspaper is an important factor in the intellectual
and educational development of the nation. It is
therefore considered proper to include in this chapter
some account of the Lee County newspapers — past and
present.
In 1834 the first printing press was brought to Iowa
by John King, who came from Ohio in that year and
settled in Dubuque. On May 11, 1836, the Dubuque
Visitor, the first newspaper ever printed in Iowa, was
printed on this press and bore the name of William C.
Jones as editor. Not long after that Dr. Isaac Galland
commenced the publication of a paper called the
Western Adventurer, the publication office being
located at Montrose. This was the first newspaper of
Lee County. Its publication was suspended in less than
two years.
James G. Edwards then purchased the outfit from Doctor
Galland, removed it to Fort Madison, and on March 24,
1838, issued the first number of the Fort Madison
Patriot, which has been described as "a strong
partisan sheet and the first whig paper in Iowa." This
paper has been credited with having first proposed the
name of "Hawkeye State" for Iowa. After the Territory
of Iowa was established and the seat of government was
located at Burlington, Mr. Edwards removed the
publication office of the Patroit to that city.
Fort Madison was then without a newspaper until July
24, 1841, when R. W. Albright issued the first number
of the Fort Madison Courier. The population of the
town was at that time estimated at seven hundred. One
of the articles in this first number of the Courier
was Philip Viele's address of welcome to Governor
Chambers on the occasion of his visit to Fort Madison
four days before the paper was issued. In December,
1841, William E. Mason purchased an interest in the
paper and the name was changed to the Lee County
Democrat. Others connected with the publication of
this paper during the next five years were O. S. X.
Peck, W. C. Stripe and T. S. Espy. In 1847 the office
was sold to George H. Williams, who changed the name
to the Iowa Statesman. After a few months Williams
sold out to J. D. Spaulding. In February, 1852, Lewis
V. Taft and others bought the paper and changed the
name to the Plain Dealer. On July 1, 1851, the paper
was purchased by W. P. Staub, who employed as editors
during the next ten years James D. Eads, Dr. A. C.
Roberts and J. M. Casey.
On May 2, 1861, Mr. Staub began the publication of a
daily called the Gem City Telegraph, but after running
it for about three months at a loss it was
discontinued. In July, 1863, Staub sold the Plain
Dealer to William CarTrey, who changed the paper to a
republican organ, greatly to the disgust of the former
owner, who induced Hussey & Hickman, then
pubishing the Montrose Banner, to remove to Fort
Madison and issue a democratic paper. The Banner did
not live long, however, after the removal.
Following Mr. CarTrey, the Plain Dealer was
successively published by Col. J. G. Willson, H. W.
Dodd and Dawley & Tremaine, which brings the
history of the paper down to the year 1878. Among the
many who were interested in the paper after that date
was George Fitch, who has since made a wide reputation
with his Vest Pocket Essays and Homeburg Stories.
Toward the latter part of its career the name of the
paper was changed to the Republican.
The Fort Madison Democrat was established in 1869 by
Charles L. Morehouse, who had the financial support of
Dr. A. C. Roberts, the first issue coming from the
press on the 4th of July. About a year later Morehouse
was succeeded by W. P. Staub, the former owner of the
Plain Dealer. In January, 1874, the ownership of the
Democrat passed to Doctor Roberts and Henry L.
Schroeder, a practical printer, and the paper was
conducted by the firm of Roberts & Schroeder until
the latter was succeeded by Nelson C. Roberts, a son
of the doctor. This association lasted until the
business was incorporated as the Democrat Publishing
Company. Since the year 1887, the Democrat has been
issued as an afternoon daily, except Sunday, with a
weekly edition issued every Wednesday.
The Daily Gem City, of Fort Madison, was started in
1887 by O. E. Newton. After several changes in
ownership the paper passed into the hands of Valentine
Buechel, ex-state senator, who improved its character
and gave it a more pronounced political policy, with
leanings toward the democracy. Subsequently Nauer
& Lorshetter became the proprietors. Upon the
death of Mr. Lorshetter, J. M. Nauer continued the
publication of the paper until April 24, 191 1, when
he sold a half interest to Thomas P. Hollowell, who
made the Gem City a straight out republican paper. In
May, 191 1, the Gem City Publishing Company was
incorporated and the paper is still published every
afternoon, except Sunday. A weekly edition is
published every Friday.
The first newspaper published in the City of Keokuk
was the Iowa Argus and Lee County Advertiser, which
began its career in January, 1846, under the editorial
guidance of William Pattee, afterward auditor of
state. It was democratic in politics, but it lived
only a few months. A facetious resident of Keokuk said
the long name was too much of a load to carry, which
was the cause of the paper's death.
In the spring of 1847 the Keokuk Register was started
by J. W. and R. B. Ogden, who had come from
Springfield, Ohio, the fall before. The first number
made its appearance on May 26, 1847, and the
ubscription list at that time consisted of three
persons — L. B. Fleak, Ross B. Hughes and Samuel Van
Fossen. J. W. Grimes, H. W. Starr and other leaders of
the whig party had agreed to guarantee a paid-up
subscription of 1,000 and the two young men went to
work in earnest. When the office was sold to the firm
of Howell & Cowles, in 1849, there were 1,800
subscribers.
Howell & Cowles had begun the publication of the
Des Moines Valley Whig at Keosauqua in July, 1846.
When they purchased the Keokuk Register of the Ogden
Brothers in March, 1849, the two offices were
consolidated at Keokuk and their paper took the name
of the Des Moines Valley Whig and Keokuk Register. On
March 3, 1854, they issued the first number of a daily
called the Keokuk Daily Whig, but the next year the
name was changed to the Gate City, under which it is
still published every afternoon, except Saturday and
Sunday, by the Gate City Publishing Company. A Sunday
morning edition is also published.
On May 20, 1848, the first number of the Keokuk
Dispatch was issued by John B. Russell and Reuben L.
Doyle. It was a pronounced democratic sheet, intended
to counteract the influence of the Register. In April,
1849, Doyle purchased his partner's interest and
became sole proprietor. S. W. Halsey purchased an
interest in July, 1850, but about a year later sold to
George Green. Several other changes occurred and in
October, 1855, the name was changed to the Saturday
Post. Mark Twain worked as a compositor on this paper
before it was removed to Doniphan, Kansas, by William
Rees & Sons in i860.
A small sheet called the Nip and Tuck Keokuk Daily
made its appearance on January 1, 1855, with the name
of D. Reddington, a former owner of the Dispatch, at
the head of the editorial columns. In September of the
same year Reddington sold out to Walling & Hussey,
who had commenced the publication of the Daily Evening
Times the preceding July. They also published a weekly
edition and when the office was sold to Charles D.
Kirk in November, 1857, the weekly was continued under
the name of The Journal. Kirk sold the Daily and
Weekly Journal to Newton, Hussey & Gwin and from
May, 1859, to December, 1861, it was under the
management of Charles Smith. The paper was then bought
at a foreclosure sale by Judge Thomas W. Clagett, who
changed the name to the Keokuk Constitution. Under the
management of Judge Clagett the paper became one of
the most influential democratic papers of Iowa and
after his death in April, 1876, the Constitution was
conducted for some time by his daughter, Sue Harry
Clagett. It was then sold to John Gibbons, Thomas
Rees, George Smith and H. W. Clendenin. Mr. Gibbons
served as editor until the following spring ( 1877) ,
when he was succeeded by Mr. Clendenin and retired
from the firm. Some years later the paper absorbed the
Democrat, which had been started a few years before,
and is still published as an afternoon daily (Sundays
excepted) under the name of the
Constitution-Democrat.
The Keokuk Post, a newspaper printed in the German
language, was established in 1855 by William Kopp
under the name of Beobachter des Westens (The Western
Observer) . During its career the name was changed
several times under different owners.
Fort Madison High School
Other journalistic ventures in Keokuk were the
Sunbeam, which was established as a temperance paper
in January, i860, and continued for about two years ;
the Daily Evening News, which was published as a
Greeley organ for a short time in the campaign of
1872; the Sharp Stick, published by T. B. Cumming
while proprietor of the Dispatch as a humorous paper;
The People's Dollar, published as an organ of the
greenback party by Thornber & Hanson for a short
time in the latter '70s, and the Central School
Journal, devoted to educational interests.
Outside of the cities of Fort Madison and Keokuk, the
first paper established in the county was the Montrose
Banner, which made its appearance in the early '6os.
It was afterward removed to Fort Madison, where it ran
for a short time, when it was discontinued. The West
Point Appeal was started in June, 1878, by Allison
Leadley, but it is no longer in existence.
The rural papers of the county in 1914 were the
Donnellson Review, the Montrose Journal and the West
Point Bee. The Donnellson Review was started in 1897
as a republican weekly and is now published every
Thursday by F. C. Tabor. The Montrose Journal began
its career in 1865, about two years after the Banner
was removed to Fort Madison. For a time it was
suspended, but was revived and is now published weekly
by George H. Duty and is republican in its political
views. The West Point Bee, of which J. M. Pohlmeyer is
editor, is a democratic weekly, published every
Thursday. It was founded in 1893.
Public Libraries
In Lee County there are two public libraries, located
at Keokuk and Fort Madison. The Keokuk Library
Association was incorporated on December 10, 1863,
with A. J. Wilkinson as president; George W. McCrary,
vice president; George C. Thompson, secretary, and
Howard Tucker, treasurer. The first board of directors
was composed of A. Hagny, William Fulton, Robert F.
Bower, P. Gibbons, George Thatcher and J. L. Rice.
Life membership in the association was fixed at $50;
membership shares, $10; annual dues, $2, and
subscribers, $3.
The first quarters of the library were over George C.
Anderson's bank. When J. L. Rice died in 1879 he left
$10,000 as the basis of a library building fund. The
women of Keokuk gave an art loan exhibit which netted
about one thousand one hundred dollars; a large number
of shares of stock, giving free use of the library for
a period of ten years, were sold; H. C. Huiskamp and
Spencer Grennell gave donations of $500 each; A. L.
Connable gave money and land amounting to $1,000, and
there were a number of other donations, which brought
the fund up to about twenty thousand dollars. The lot
at the southeast corner of Third and Main streets was
then selected as a site and a building was erected
thereon at a cost of $25,000. It was opened to the
public on February 24, 1883. At that time the
association was in debt about five thousand dollars,
which amount was loaned to the board of directors by
H. C. Huiskamp for ten years without interest. In May,
1892, the last payment of this loan was made and the
association became free from debt.
The Legislature of 1894 passed an act "to stimulate
the establishment of new public libraries and to
promote the usefulness of those in." One provision of
this act was that in all cities and incorporated towns
the mayor should appoint a board of library existence
trustees of nine members, which board should have
authority to employ a librarian and assistants and
levy a tax of not more than one mill on the dollar for
the support of the library.
On April 2, 1894, an election was held in Keokuk, at
which the people were called upon to vote on the
question: "Shall the City of Keokuk accept the benefit
of the statute for the creation and maintenance of a
public library?" The proposition was carried and the
directors of the Library Association then submitted to
the city council a proposition to lease the library
and all its appurtenances to the city for a term of
eight years from May 1, 1894, provided the city would
appropriate annually not less than one thousand five
hundred dollars for its support. This proposition was
accepted by the city authorities and on July 16, 1894,
tne institution became the Keokuk Public Library. The
annual appropriation since that time has never been
less than two thousand dollars. On January 1, 1914,
there were 22,500 volumes in the library and the
circulation for the year 1913 was 80,350
volumes.
The trustees for the year 1914 were: John E. Craig,
Ben B. Jewell, Charles J. Smith, W. J. Fulton, W. C.
Blood, John I. Amiable, William Reimbold, Abraham
Hollingsworth and Dr. G. Walter Barr. The first three
named were president, vice president and secretary,
respectively, and Miss Nannie P. Fulton was the
librarian.
The Fort Madison Public Library had its origin in the
organization of a sort of society, volunteers donating
books, the greatest single donation being that of
Daniel F. Miller, who gave several hundred volumes,
many of which were public documents, such as
Congressional Records, etc. No librarian, with
authority to enforce regulations, was appointed and
the duties of that position were sadly neglected.
Finally, the finances of the institution ran low and
the library was closed, the rent on the room occupied
at that time being almost one thousand dollars in
arrears. Dr. A. C. Roberts, who had always taken a
keen interest in the success of the library, settled
the claims and preserved the few books remaining,
which were removed to other quarters.
In January, 1878, J. C. Bontecou commenced a series of
temperance meetings in Fort Madison and in a week's
time more than eight hundred signed the pledge. These
persons organized the Red Ribbon Reform Club, which
rented a building on Front Street r between Pine and
Cedar, for a hall and reading room. This movement
resulted in what became known as the City Circulating
Library. It was kept up by a number of women who felt
the need of a library, most of the money received for
its support being raised by giving public
entertainments.
Henry and Elizabeth Cattermole, natives of England,
were among the oldest and most respected citizens of
Fort Madison. For many years Mr. Cattermole was
identified with the pork packing business of the city
and was one of the founders of the German-American
Bank. He and his estimable wife realized the need of a
library for the city in which they had so long dwelt,
and when he died in 1891 he left instructions to his
widow to erect a library building to his memory. Mrs.
Cattermole carried out her husband's instructions,
and, with the assistance of the executor of the
estate, H. D. McConn, erected the Cattermole Memorial
Library on Pine Street, between Second and Third, on
the site occupied for many years by the Cattermole
homestead.
The library building is of St. Louis buff brick, with
terra cotta trimmings and a slate roof. The interior
is finished in oak and a cozy feature is the brick
fireplaces in the various rooms, giving an air of
cheerfulness. It was dedicated in 1893, a short time
after the death of Mrs. Cattermole, who did not live
to see the completion of the generous work of her
husband and herself. The cost of the building was
$25,000.
The library was made the Fort Madison Public Library
in much the same manner as the one at Keokuk, though
it still bears the name of the Cattermole Memorial
Library, in honor of the donors. At the beginning of
the year 19 14 there were approximately ten thousand
volumes in the library and the circulation has
increased every year since its establishment. The
trustees for 19 14 were: Dr. J. M. Casey, president;
J. P. Cruikshank, vice president; Miss Rebecca Hesser,
secretary and librarian, and Mrs. G. B. Stewart, Mrs.
J. B. Watkins, Mrs. C. F. Wahrer, Mrs. Ella Crouse, W.
A. Scherfe, N. C. Roberts and A. L. Gates.
Source: History
of
Lee County, Iowa, by Dr. S. W. Moorhead and
Nelson C. Roberts, 1914
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