LOUISA COUNTY, IOWA

Pg 18

OTHER HISTORICAL DATA

Transcribed by Beverly Gerdts, submitted June 10, 2017

       In 1914, a strip of pavement was laid from the east end of the old bridge, through Fredonia on main street, and approximately a mile east and south in the open country. The construction work was done by convict labor. It was one, if not the first, road paving in the state, and was more or less a test strip for open country roads. The coming of the automobile and the development of a better road program have changed our highways wonderfully. Since then, the big majority of our roads in the community have been graded and surfaced with crushed rock, course gravel or covered with blacktop. Our cross-state highway, No. 92, was widened, regraded and paved 22 foot wide with concrete. This caused the construction of our new bridge built in 1938. The increased moving of freight by truck, proved to be too heavy traffic for the old bridge, which was built for wagon travel, and the increased passenger car traffic constantly caused new problems. At this writing we are in the midst of a program of widening our paved roads for safety sake.

        An item of April, 1916, says Walter Morgan was elected superintendent of Sunday school, at Fredonia, Eva McDaniel, secretary and Nellie Gambell, treasurer.

        The Fredonia school announced a box social at the Fredonia Methodist church March 23, 1916. Teachers were Geneva and Opal McKay.

        Mrs. Rhoda Chapman passed away March 8, 1916.

        Mrs. Ray Soloman passed away in Fredonia in 1916.

        A clipping of April 7, 1930, tells of a new service station to be built by Jess George in Columbus Junction, on the corner where the Wm Dunn property stood, on the corner of Walnut and Second St.

        Mrs. John Wilson bought Glenn Wagner property and moved the building, used as an Inn, to Noah Wilson property, close by the standard Oil station and started a grocery store, April 7, 1932.

        On November 20, 1880, ice closed the Iowa River. On November 21, 1880, it was six below zero. On December 9, 1880, it was 10 below zero.

        On September 20, 1880, the Iowa river raised two feet a day.

        From a Fredonia news item dated 1880, there was quite a write-up for Mr. Burrough Westlake, on his sixty-third birthday. About 60 people of his neighbors and relatives surprised him with well filled baskets and gifts.

        November 19, 1884, a lovely girl baby, at Mr. George Jones. We extend congratulations.

        E. S. Curtis is under renewed bonds as postmaster at Fredonia for another five years.

        Another boy at Thomas Newells, July 4,1885.

        1887, Fredonia station was being remodeled, and thoroughly renewed inside and out. Plastering, roof and addition on the west, with the removable of the old annex on the east. Mr. Shanning doing the plastering and R. J. Reaney the carpenter. The building will be used jointly as railroad ticket and freight office, along with the mercantile business.

        The post office was located in a number of places and many have served as postmaster. For a time, a post office was operated in the original Fredonia down by the river, in 1839, with Trueman Clark as the first postmaster, this was discontinued in 1842, and re-established in 1860, with Jacob Van Dyke as postmaster. Since that time Mr. Gambell, J. J. Carr, Mr John Channing. It was located in th e Cooperative store for a time, Mr. Perry Axtell, Billie Button and a number we have no records of.

        On April 18, 1880, we read where it was 70 degrees in the shade in the evening, and snow on the ground the next morning.

        In 1880, Lee's saloon burglarized at Fredonia.