Mills County, Iowa

Ghost Towns of Mills County, Iowa
by Allen Wortman
(used with permission)

...Former Towns and Post Offices
pages XIII - VI

Interest in ghost towns is no recent thing. In 1932, Annals of Iowa, a publication of the Iowa State Department of History and Archives, devoted an entire issue to giving the names of ghost towns in every county of the state and, in most instances, locating each. The thoroughness of the research for the issue is shown by the fact that it missed only a few and still came up with a total of thirty-three for Mills County. Not all had been bona fide towns, however. In a number of instances there were several names for the same town, or a community in the same location. Several had existed only as post offices, entirely without other commercial enterprise.

Before the introduction of rural free delivery around the turn of the century, it was advantageous to have a farm-house post office in a neighborhood. Mail would be brought there daily by star route from some nearby town, and neighbors of the farmer-postmaster could thus get their mail more conveniently.

In the list of former towns and post offices given below, which contains the names of fifty-one, six of them are former names for present towns. The list is as complete as records now available can supply, but the author would be the last to claim that none have been missed. Where no page number is given, this table is the only information that we have of the town or post office.

Alps Post Office in Lyons Township. Established February 10, 1858, closed May 2, 1859; Arba L. Lambson, postmaster.
Ashleigh Post Office, location unknown.
Balfour In Center Township. see page 148
Benton Post Office in Anderson Township. Established May 9, 1863, by William B. Wilson; discontinued August 26, 1881. About 5 1/2 miles north of Hastings./td>
Bethelehem In Plattville Township. see page 17
Boxelder Post Office in Anderson Township. Established May 17, 1890, Joseph A. Farrington, postmaster; closed November 15, 1901; Located seven miles northwest of Henderson on Pottawattamie County line.
California City In Plattville Township. see page 17
Cerro Gordo Post Office in St. Marys Township. see page 12
Clark in white Cloud Township. see page 125
Coonville In Glenwood Township, early name for Glenwood. Post Office established February 10, 1851, Libeus T. Coons, postmaster; Renamed Glenwood February 24, 1853.
Cutler's Camp In Silver Creek Township. see page 22
East Plattsmouth In Plattsville Township. see page 125
Egypt In Lyons Township. About eight miles south of Pacific Junction. Post Office established August 17, 1865, Alfred P. Davenport, postmaster; moved and renamed Bartlett, in Fremont county, June 3, 1867.
Etta Anderson Township. Private station with scales and stockyards on Hastings-Carson branch of C.B.& Q. railroad, three miles north of Hastings. Built by J. D. Robbins and named for his wife, Etta. A mile to the west, on the county road and just north of the Harvey Lisle and Roy Robbins farm homes, these families established the High Bank Store and Service Station which flourished for several years during the 1930's and 1940's.
Fayette In Center Township. see page 69
Florence in Plattville Township. see page 57
Folsom In Oak Township. see page 103
Harmony In Indian Creek Township. see page 99
Haynie In Lyons Township. Also called Haynie Station on Council Bluffs & St. Joseph Railroad. Post Office established July 31, 1868, Alfred P. Davenport (see Egypt above); closed November 25, 1872.
Henton Henton Station, in Oak Township. see page 103
Indian Creek Post Office in Indian Creek Township. Established October 30,1854, David Silkett, postmaster; closed July 25 1859. Three miles southwest of Emerson.
Ingraham Post Office probably in Ingraham Township. Location not known. Established April 25, 1854, James H. Goodman, postmaster; closed October 6, 1859.
Jewell Post Offie in Silver Creek Township. see page 140
Junction City Post Office in Plattville Township. see page 17
Lawrence In White Cloud Township. see page 41
Lewis City Former name for Mineola in Oak Township.
Louden In Center Township. see page 69
Milton Station Former name for Malvern.
Mt. Olive In Center Township. see page 69
Pacific City In Plattville Township. see page 57
Plattville In Plattville Township. Post Office established 1854, discontinued 1860. town south of East Plattsmouth.
Peaceville In silver Creek and White Cloud Townships. see page 133
Plumer Settlement In Oak Township. see page 27
Potter Former name for Henderson.
Rushville In Lyons Township. see page 22
St. Mary In St. Mary Township. see page 12
Sharpsburg In Plattville Townhip. see page 17
Solomon In Deer Creek Township. see page 127
Stage Coach Inn In Ingraham Townsip. see page 35
Stillary's In Plattsmouth Township. see page 57
Strahan In White Cloud Township. see page 57
Trader's Point In St. Marys Township. see page 107
Tubbsville Location unknown.
Turner Post Office in Deer Creek Township. Established July 27, 1874, Arnold Trayers, postmaster; moved and renamed Imogene in Fremont County November 24, 1879; reopened as Turner March 19, 1880. Henry C. Bedison, postmaster; discontinued July 20, 1889. Since Postmaster Bedison opened the Solomon post office, it is assumed that the Turner office was moved to that location.
Wahaghbonsey
(Waubonsie) 		Post Office in Rawles Township. About seven miles south of Glenwood or six miles north of Tabor in Section 18, Rawles Township, on Waubonsie Creek; established June 12, 1852, John G. Scott, postmaster; discontinued June 17, 1872. Scott was also a doctor and school teacher there. Later Waubonsie was the name of a station on the Council Bluffs & St. Joseph Railroad in south Lyons Township.
Wall Street Fictitious town in Silver Creek Township. see page 140
Walnut Grove Post Office. Established 1854, discontinued 1857. Location unknown.
Ward Post Office in Ingraham Township. On site of later town of Silver City; established 22 Apr 1867, George Goff, postmaster; discontinued June 30, 1868.
Weston In Indian Creek Township. see page 102
White Cloud On the Nishnabotna river. see page 41

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