MUSCATINE COUNTY IOWA

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        Atalissa is situated in Muscatine County in the northeastern part of Goshen Township on section 11, on the line of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad. The area is surrounded by rich and beautiful farm country. Atalissa is located between the city of Moscow to the east and West Liberty to the west. According to the 1990 local census figures, the population is 294.

       Mayor-Councilman is the form of government. Present Officers and Council Members are Mayor Donald Passmore, Clerk Connie Black, Councilmen William Pace, Dennis Hepker, Robert Ervin, Angie Dickey and Joseph Blick.

       Today’s post office is located on Cherry Street. Its’ postmaster is Joyce Hollenbeck. The eighty acres on which the present town is situated holds two churches, two taverns, a mini mart-gas station, a feed mill, fertilizer plant, a beauty shop, and several small businesses.

Atalissa mayor since incorporation in 1901

       The past mayor of Atalissa were Owen Doyle, Jacob Vauble, Earl Turkle (1920-22), William Ingram (1923 resigned), D. O. Flint (1923), Mr. Lowenburg (1928-1929), Fred Collison (1930), Nick Spilger, Elvin O. “Mutt” Markham (1935-1939), Nachbaur, Lawrence McKillip (1948), Bill Goodale (1963), Wayne Bienke (1964), Marv Schlimmer (1975), Bill Messner (1983), Frank Yeager (1976), Frank Mixner (1979), Jerry Wilson (1987 and 1991), Este Buffum (1983) and George Morrison. The current mayor is Don Passmore.

       This is just a partial list as the records were destroyed at the Courthouse.

Government at work in Atalissa

       In Atalissa council members tackle city chores. This community’s city government works literally. City council members help to keep city taxes down by volunteering for duties, such as plowing the city streets after a snow storm, building the city dog kennel, mowing the weeds up and down the town ditches, at the waste water treatment plant, replacing aged or damaged stop signs and digging trenches for new water lines when needed. “Council Members pitch in and take care of the town,” said Connie Black.

Picture: City Hall

       When the city built a 28 by 20 foot addition to the city maintenance garage last year, council members Robert Ervin and Bill Pace tore out all of the cold concrete from the site to prepare for the new construction. When the council… …decided it was tired of sitting on folding chairs behind folding tables during council meetings, council members Erwin and Richard Beinke decided to build a modern L-shaped desk for the city hall. They got the lumber, built the desk in two parts in Beinke’s garage and then hauled it up to the city hall. “We do anything and everything that needs to be done.” The city hires out the big jobs but, if it’s something a couple of us can handle, we go ahead and do it,” said Ervin.

Picture: City Council left to right Dennis Hepker, Bill Pace, Angie Dickey, Don Passmore Mayor, Connie Black Clerk, Bob Ervin and Joe Blick.

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Picture: Tony Herrold getting ready to vote

Picture: Precinct Election Officials left to right: Norma Yeager, Jessie Stewart and Betty Bienke.

Picture: Larry Armey, Town Marshall, showing off the new police car purchased in 1973.

        City Hall is now located at 122 Third Street, Martha Watters Ridenour started voting at the Masonic Hall in 1939 and remembers her parents voting there for many years before. After Frank Yeager became mayor Kent Feeds gave him a garage to be used as City Hall. It was moved in behind Yeagers Grocery Store on the northwest corner of Cherry and Depot Street. In the late 1970’s the city purchased the Ellsworth property and the new city hall was built.

Picture: Our City Police Officers taken in 1997. Left to right Charles McClure, Mike Schmidt, Chief, and Bob Hartman

Police and Sheriff’s Departments

        The First County Sheriff was James Davis, in 1838. According to the History of Muscatine County Atlas written in 1911. Over the years there have been too many to list. Today our Sheriff is Lowell Snyder.

        Our police department is quite small here in Atalissa and the officers are here part time.

        Until 1973 Atalissa didn’t have a city code for the police to follow. Until then all the Officers had were a lot of ordinances stored here and there in drawers, and some were even mouse eaten. At this time the city had purchased a new patrol car and had sent the town Marshall to school for training. Before that the equipment was a rusty Colt 38 special, a badge, and the men had to use their own vehicles. The gun was so rusty it had to be soaked in oil just to get it out of the holster. The town had purchased it in 1901 and it had seen very little use over the years.

        Today Atalissa has two part time officers from West Liberty that keep our town safe. They are Robert Hartman and Charles McClure. There was a third man Michael J. Schmidt but he has gone on to serve elsewhere.

Fire Department

        From the Fred Croxen’s memories we take this story of the fire department in the late 1890’s and early 1900’s. This was around 1901. The Ed Speers and Son store caught fire. It was in the Good Temperance building, several other buildings north and south burned also. It burned from Jake Vauble and Sam Hallock machine and pump repair shop to the south of the Speer’s store. The former restaurant then the Seth Hampton furniture and undertaking parlor also burned.

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        All the town’s people turned out to help fight the fires. Even some from the surrounding country came too. There were no phone lines then, except for the one from Samuel and Ovilla’s to their son, Charles Croxen’s. That is how Fred and his father knew about the fire in town. Ovilla said the whole town looked like it was burning. Fred and Charles saddled their horses and rode to town to help the bucket brigade fight the fire all night. At that time Atalissa didn’t have a fire department, only people with buckets to fight any major fire. The women filled the buckets and pumped the wells to keep a steady supply of water to the men. All the wells were pumped dry, however the fires were under control by that time. In order to keep the fire from spreading more the men kept the roofs of the Jonathan Miller shoe shop and home wet, this is the only thing that stopped the fire. A man, who had a grudge against, Mr. Speers, started the fire. He had no idea what a catastrophe he had started and didn’t really seem to care.

Picture: This is the new fire truck purchased in 1950. Waldo Elder, Thomas Stewart, Harold Coiner, Glen Phelps, George Morrison and James Stacker are really proud.

Picture: Atalissa’s first fire truck in the early 1900’s. It is now in a Museum in Mason City, Iowa.

        In 1967 C. L. Montgomery was visiting Mason City, Iowa where he discovered one of Atalissa’s old fire trucks. It was in the Kinney Pioneer Museum and was used in Parades and Fire Prevention displays. No date is available as to how old the truck is. Perky Carlisle remembered the old fire truck but couldn’t recall the years in service. He told us it was really hard to get primed and once primed you really had to have control of the hose. Delbert Arnold sprained his ankle at a fire in Moscow because he didn’t have a tight enough grip on the hose and it knocked him off balance.

Picture: Francis “Perky” Carlisle receiving his plaque from Fire Chief Don Passmore for 34 years of service to the Fire Department.

Picture: The Fire Station is getting a new roof, not only can these men fight fires they can do roofing as well.

        The fire department has always been a volunteer department with men from the community on call whenever needed.

        The current list of fireman are Bob Axsom, Joe Blick, Brian Campbell, Tim DeVore, Bob Guthrie, Gene Hammons, Richard Lyons, Mike McKillip, Jason McMichael, Jerry McMichael, Dennis O’Donnel, Bill Pace Fire Chief, Karl Fortenbacher, Rod Plank, Scott Skubal, Mike Smock, Dick Spilger and Bill Wilson.

Picture: Our Firemen taken in 1997. Some of the faces have changed but the guys do a wonderful job protecting our community and surrounding area.