LOUISA COUNTY, IOWA

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ALAMEDA

Transcribed by Beverly Gerdts, submitted June 10, 2017

       We have read in several of the old records where Alameda was platted by D. C. Maxson. However, in two of the old abstract deeds, notorized and signed, and on record 129,page219, it states: Jonathan E. Fletcher purchased from the United states government, the NE1/4 of section 20, twp.1841, and the platting of the town of Alameda, by James Waterbury, dated August 1,1859,filed August 1,1859, …

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… town plat book, transcribed page 15, as laid out by James Waterbury July 23, A. D. ,1859,located on SW corner of the NE ¼ of section 20,twp 75N range 4 west, signed J. R. Sisson, surveyor; and was ordered the whole be recorded and was signed by Joseph S Derbin, county judge.

        In the other records it states Mr. E. C. Maxson bought 160 acres, in 1859, and platted the town of Alameda, which was a part of the original town of Fredonia, before Iowa became a state. Mr. Maxson purchased it from Jonathan E. Fletcher, and in connection with his partner, Mr. James Waterbury, had it surveyed in 1859. It was through the influence of Mr. Maxson that the spur on the railroad was built. He furnished all the ties and wood necessary for the work. The depot was located just west of the Blaine Bliven home on the south of the track. George Haywood was the first deport agent.

        The railroad was completed to Columbus Junction, then known as the “sand bank,” in November 17, 1857, and on to Washington in September, 1858. The stock yards were on the east edge of town and were used by farmers for many years after the yards at Columbus Junction were built, because of the difficulty of driving stock across the old river bridge.

        The water tank was located immediately south of the Farm Service buildings and filled by a horse powered pump, operated similar to the sorghum mills. Philip Brown attended the pump until it was changed over to windmill power. After the north and south railroad crossed at Columbus Junction, a water tank was installed there and this one was discontinued. Just recently, in 1956, the tank at Columbus Junction was torn down, as all the trains are now pulled by Diesel engines.

        The first building in Alameda, was a store building owned and operated as a general store, by Mr. Maxson, where the Farm Service buildings now stand. Several years later this building was occupied and operated as a general store by William Curtis, who did a thriving business in buying and shipping grain along with the operation of the store. If buildings could talk, what an interesting story this building might tell. After serving as a general store for several years, it was sold and moved to the property of Elmer Barbee, where it was used as a blacksmith shop through many changes of managers. After the coming of the automobile, it was sold to Jess George and he remodeled it into a service station and garage. After the building of a new bridge and the change of the highway, business declined, and the building was once more sold. Mr. Art Barnard purchased the property and remodeled it into a nice little home now owned by Elmar Barbee and his pretty daughter, Nancy.

        The next building in Alameda was a home built by J. B. Van Dyke, which later burned and was rebuilt, and now is the home of Mr. and Mrs Blaine Bliven. Another building was built on what is now the property of Mrs. Merle Buster, on the southeast lot and was operated as a saloon by Willis Utter. This building was sold in later years and moved to the property now owned by Gene Duncan, and is a part of that home. Another saloon was operated on the northeast lot of the Ralph Snyder home, another on the southwest corner of the Merle Buster lots and rumor has it that there were seven saloons int own at one time.

        Dr. Solomon Dill came to Fredonia in 1858, and made his home where Mr and Mrs Dale Powers now reside.

        A store building was built on the lot where the Carey store now operates and a number of our neighbors operated a store there. Levi Mickey, John Lowe and J. Shannon were just a few of them. Then the Farmers Cooperative store was operated there for 38 years. J. J. Carr owned the property where Harley and Harlen Diller live, and built a small store building on the southeast lot and this was the post office for a time, then a store was operated there, John Shannon, J. B. Van Dyke, John Biram and a number of others. Then there was store building on the northeast corner of the Alonzo Diller lots, this was operated by a number of mangers also. Ves McDaniel was the last one to operate a store there, as it burned while he was still in possession.

        Marvil Wheelock operated a sawmill, also a grist mill, in 1855, which made Fredonia look very businesslike.

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        James Reaney wrote a piece for the Muscatine Journal in 1929, where he told of his visit to his mother's people, James and Christopher Turkington, spoke of visiting Samuel Turkington, who lived near the Washington County line, and they drove down a road along the south side of what is now the Bert Oepping farm, across the ferry run by Micajah Reeder, across the railroad tracks near where the Button factory is and up over the hill past the Max Shaum home, and on out through Columbus City.

        In 1871, they returned to Iowa. When they arrived at Fredonia, there had been a heavy snow, which was just melting off, and the bottom ground of Fredonia was all under water. They thought they were landing in a lake. Mr. Reaney purchased the farm now owned by the Norris family, and states that when they came here there was a good general store and an elevator run by John Van Dyke, and was doing a good business. He says there was plenty of prairie chicken, wild ducks and geese.

        In the same Journal, we find where “The Swallon” came up the river to Fredonia, April 9, 1870,with a flat in tow to be used by the railroad in constructing a bridge over the Iowa river at Todd town.

        In January, 1873, Fredonia had quite an enrollment in the “Fredonia Grange.” Among the names we find; Jacob McCrosky, Martin Diller, Johnson, McDaniels, and Waterbury.

        The Grange was No. 1642, and on June 13, 1874, they met with Concord Grange No. 505, for the purpose of consolidating the two. Then they voted on a fourth of July celebration. In December, 1874, the treasurer, Mr. Waterbury, of Grange 1642, turned over the money in the treasury to the Concord Grange. On May 15, 1875, they voted to give $10.00 of the money turned over by the Fredonia Grange, to the orphan child of James Waterbury, but didn't say when or how the parents died.

        Some of the names of the members that are familiar to us are; R. Newell, J. Briggs, R. H. Edmondson, J. S. Lupton, G. Church, V. C. George, E. S. Curtis, B. Westlake, R. J. Reaney, A. B. Westlake, Anna Blackstone, Christina Newell, Emma Westlake, Rebecca Diller, Mary Clark, Maggie Church, Maggie Schoop, Margaret Walker, Sophia Briggs, Mary Knott, Harriet Curtis, Jane Stone and Sarah Foster.

        Among the old clippings are a few household hints, among them the following: In reply to the request for something to reduce flesh, I would like to give a simple harmless remedy, the ingredients are twenty-five cents worth of Ivory soap and one pound of epsom salts. Shave the soap into a granite kettle, pour three quarts of soft water over the soap and put on the back of the stove to melt. Do not let boil. Dissolve salts in a half pint of warm water and stir into soap until smooth. Apply the soap directly to the skin, rubbing in well, then bathe it off in twelve hours. If applied night and morning the reduction will be more rapid. This was the writers own formula, without copyright or red tape. (In these days of dieting and reducing, perhaps this just might work!) Another, to smooth away wrinkles of ill health and middle age, is this formula; Alum, thick almond milk and rose water; it also said beware of rubber masks.

        John Mulligan came to Fredonia with the building of the railroad and remained for some time as section foreman, then spent several years as flagman at Columbus Junction.

        The first wagon bridge was built between Fredonia and Columbus Junction in 1878, at a cost of $20,000. The new town of Columbus Junction contributed $5,000, and subscriptions were taken in the community. This bridge, located just down stream from the railroad bridge, stood until the present bridge was built in 1936. At the time it was built, it was said to be the longest bridge on the state and the second in the county.

        Do you recollect the sign? _ DRIVE SLOW, DANGER OF A FINE, LOOK UP. Then over head – EIGHT DOLLAR FINE FOR RIDING OR DRIVING FASTER THAN A WALK OVER THE BRIDGE. Do you remember the truck of canned dog food that went through the bridge, somewhere in the early 30's? Mr. and Mrs Leonard Frisk were meeting the truck when the floor of the bridge gave way, and let the truck and car down into the river. Fortunately the river was low, and both car...

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... and truck rested on a sandbar, in very shallow water. None of the occupants were injured, except shaken and frightened. Mrs. Frisk was climbing up the bridge floor like a ladder when the other cars arrived. Milton Curtis was immediately behind the Frisk car and barely had time to stop to keep from going over the edge.

        All the little boys in town who had dogs, (and who didn't) got all the dog food they needed for sometime.

        Somewhere in the 1880's a cooperative creamery was started, and located just south of the Edgebert Shellabarger home. Directors were Thomas Newell and Jacob Libernecht, with Oscar Crull picking up the cream, and Ed Kelley making the butter. After the corporation dissolved, the creamery was sold to Thomas Carey and Ed Kelley, in 1896. Earl Bedwell owned the building. Earl Bedwell dug gravel from the river bed near the old wagon bridge , scooping it into the wagons by elbow power. It was hauled to the depot here in Fredonia and shipped by car load. He also bought and sold mellons and shipped from here. As many as one-hundred car loads of mellons were shipped during a season. Oscar Crull and sons, George, Lawrence and Herbert were dealers for the Case threshing machines. The machines were stored on the place now belong to Merle Buster, which was then the home of Lawrence Crull. They operated a threshing machine at harvest time. They also operated a sawmill, and road graders, and made the first cement blocks in this community.

        In 1896, M. H. Bowman loaded a car of mellons at Fredonia, 1,000 to a car, averaging 34 pounds each.

        I wonder how many remember the wreck on the C. R. I . & P. R. R. between Fredonia and the bridge, September 3, 1904, in which one man was killed and 12 cars demolished. Several carloads of mellons were splattered all over Fredonia.

        A Clipping from an old paper of 1885, in the Fredonia items, the writer as this to say about Fredonia, “The district Fair should not neglect to consider the fine broad plateaus and the economy in the way of water and acres for a location at Fredonia.

        Fredonia reported corn making 70 bushels per acre, Irish potatoes 300 bushel to the acre, water melons no end, tomato in abundance and sandburrs 110 bushel to the acre.

        I have been unable to learn when the first grain elevator was built, however, an old record states that John Van Dyke operated a general store and an elevator, and did quite a thriving business in buying and shipping grain , in 1870. Then in another book of clippings, dated 1884, we read: Mr. W. L. Curtis has sold out to Mr. Horace Deihl, of this city, who will carry on the business in his stead. Mr. Curtis has conducted business since they purchased it of the late J. D. Van Dyke. The fright and ticket agency at the Fredonia station of the C.R. I. & P. railroad, and the P.O. Goes with the deal. This elevator was located on the north side of the tracks near where the Farm Service oil tanks now stand.

        Then, from Mr. L. Brown we get this bit of information: Tobe Brown built and elevator in Fredonia about 1885, west of the depot, on the north side of the railroad tracks. It included a sheller run by a steam engine, located inside the building. The loads of corn weighed on scales wet if the deoirtm then they pulled the loads int o the elevator and scooped over the side of the wagon in to the sheller. The shelled corn running in to the basement would lift it into over head granary, that was high enough so railroad cars could be filled. Brown owned the Shimock farm at the time, and his eldest son lived there and managed the elevator. John and frank Idle bought grain and used this elevator. About this time Lock Lee run a saloon on the lot where the town hall now stands.

        A Pickering who lived in Fredonia patented a steam engine governor, that was used on most of the steam engines on the railroad.

        In 1880, we read where Charlie Brown, William Curtis and Alice Lupton were attending school at Columbus Junction. Robbie and Miss Hattie Newell were attending school at Iowa City. Willie Newell was attending school in Burlington.

        Henry Diller of Ottowo, Kansas, was in Fredonia for a few days. In 1882, Miss Grace Lupton was quite busy soliciting funds to buy a new carpet for the M.E. Church at Fredonia. The item reads: A few...

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… more dollars and the twenty will be subscribed. Sabbath school next Sunday at 2 p.m. Officers: Superintendent, S. C. Curtis, Assistant, R. J. Reaney, secretary, Samuel Reaney, treasurer, E. McDonald; librarian, James Lupton; organist, Miss Grace Lupton.

        December 26,1883, Miss Ida Jones and George M. Parkin were married at the bride's home, by Rev. J. L. King of Letts.

        April 8, 1886, the marriage of Miss Mollie Hudler, and Mr. Wm Wagner, at the home of the bride's parents, in Fredonia.

        J. F. Chandler school teacher, and Miss Dora Shue of Grandview, were married April 8, 1886.