Nichols, Iowa Centennial Book
Nichols - Our Town - 1984BUSINESSES
BARNHART INSURANCE AGENCY
Nichols, Iowa Centennial Book 1884-1984, page 6
By Marianne PhelpsMarcella Barnhart is owner of the Barnhart Insurance Agency. It was organized in September 1966 by F. A. Kirchner. Formerly located in the old bank building on the west end of Ijem Avenue, the business is now located in a separate building next to the Post Office. Agents are Marcella Barnhart, Marion Barnhart and Marianne Phelps.
~ Photo of Barnhart Insurance Agency. – page 6
BURT’S TAVERN
Nichols, Iowa Centennial Book 1884-1984, pages 5-6
By Mary CarterBurt’s Tavern had its beginning in a building on the lot now occupied by the new Community Building. When it was demolished, the bricks and rubble were deposited on land owned by Burt Carter. He felt that it was a fitting resting place for a building that had served a long time.
In recent memory, the tavern was operated by Willard Rice as part of a hotel. He also had a popcorn stand in the space just east of the building. When he moved his restaurant down the street, the third floor of the old hotel building was removed, and Bernie Oostendorp operated the tavern. Bernie and his family lived on the second floor for a few years. Bernie’s Tavern operated for more than twenty-five years at that location. He sold it when he and his son, Ron Oostendorp, purchased the feed business, Bernie’s Farm Supply.
In May of1967, Burt Carter purchased the business from Bernie and changed the name of the tavern to Burt’s Tavern. Burt and Mary Carter operated the business for about twelve years. In that time they made many friends among the people who attended Iowa basketball and football games and who came to the Nichols area to go hunting. They also served as the meeting place for the community. For many years it was the only business open after 6 p.m.
In 1975 Burt Carter purchased the present site of Burt’s Tavern from George Grable and moved to that building on New Year’s Day of 1976. Many of the patrons helped, and they did not lose a day of business! Randy Elder painted the mural of Herky the Hawk on the west wall of the new building. The cupboards behind the bar are from the Grable Farm and Home Store.
In May of 1978 Burt had trouble with gout, making long hours on his feet quite difficult, so he sold the tavern to Raymond (Mike) Young from Muscatine.
Mike Young and his daughter, Barbara Young, continue to operate the tavern as Burt’s Tavern.Photos:
~ Burt’s Tavern at its present location. – page 5.
~ Burt’s Tavern on Ijem Avenue, formerly “Bernies.” – page 5.
CHOWN APPLIANCE, INC.
Nichols, Iowa Centennial Book 1884-1984, pages 3-4
By Kathy ChownIt all began when Bob Chown started selling appliances from his travel trailer about 1929. He and his brother, Louis Chown, owned a gas station at the time.
Later they sold the gas station, and Bob continued his appliance business in one of the buildings on Ijem Avenue. Eventually he moved to the present location, which was where Mervin Shafer had operated a grocery store.
Originally there were two buildings there, and Bob knocked out a wall to make them into one large store. There was a window and a door in what is now Burt’s Tavern that Bob closed and covered with paneling.
Bob’s major appliances, Amana, General Electric, Admiral, Zenith and Tappan, to name a few, were displayed on the west side of the show room. On the east side he had his small appliances and a general hardware department. Bob had two large back rooms in which he kept Lennox furnaces and parts, his Good Year tires, and Lawn Boy mowers and parts, along with other items of equipment. The upstairs of the building was used as a meeting hall for lodges. These organizations moved or were dissolved before Bob used the upstairs for storage.
Bob brought his Good Year tires from the gas station. He continued to sell them until around 1970. His business consisted of plumbing, heating and wiring many new and old houses, along with selling appliances, large and small. For those who used L. P. bottle gas, Bob had that, too.
Bob was always big on service. He was always there if your furnace was out or if you had a leaky faucet. If he couldn’t make it, he’d see that his employees would. Some of his early employees were Ralph O. Schmitt, Al Pike, Clifton Schmitt and Bob Kaalberg.
His wife, Doris, also helped out in the store by keeping books or answering the phone. There were times when she’d prop a freezer open and use it as a playpen for her kids.
All of Bob’s children worked for him at some time in their lives, but it was Max Chown who wanted to carry on in his father’s footsteps. Max started up by riding to Davenport with his dad when he was about four years old to pick up supplies that were needed. He actually started working for his dad when he was 14 years old.
After Max married, he had to leave for Army training. His wife, Kathy, helped Bob at the store while Max was away, and she has continued to help out when she was needed.
Bob hired Gertrude Carroll in 196 and she stayed until 1980.
Max took over the business in January of 1977 and has maintained the same strong belief in good service that his father had. Max has a motto which he repeats often: “If I don’t have it and I can’t get it … they you don’t need it!”
Since Max has taken over the business, he has opened a branch store in West Liberty. He hired Ray Meyer from Lone Tree to manage the West Liberty store.
Max and Kathy had a son, Todd, and a daughter, Tami – possibly one or both of them will carry on Grandpa’s service and their Dad’s motto.Photos:
~ Chown Appliance Store, a family business since 1929. Started out of a travel trailer. Present location now on Ijem Avenue. As of 1 March 1984, Russell Grim is buying into the business. – page 3.
~ Bob Chown opened the Chown Motor Co. in 1919. Peanut Chown bought into the business in 1932. Bob sold appliance out of the trailer [ABC Appliances.] – page 4.
~ Max Chown poses with a freezer. – page 4.
~ Chown Appliance when the store was in the first building east of Elder Implement. Pictured are Robert Chown and his eldest son, Pete Chown. – page 4.
CROPMATE BULK FERTILIZER PLANT
Nichols, Iowa Centennial Book 1884-1984, pages 7-8The Cropmate bulk fertilizer plant was built in 1962 on land leased from the Rock Island Railroad. Over the years the name has been changed from the beginning as Schrock Fertilizer, to Standard, to Amoco, to the present name of Cropmate.
The operation has gone from 10,000 tons per year to 60, 000 tons per years, with semi-trucks loading twenty-four hours per day during the season. They serve an area including southeastern Iowa and western Illinois.
Robert Berger has managed the plant since its beginning. Roy Bieri and Dick Hanft worked there from 1966 until their retirement in 1983. Other long time employees are Keith White (1968), Paul Kerr (1970), Barbara Jo Mills (1972) and Bruce Wright (1974).
In 1983 the district office of Cropmate was moved to Nichols. Gary Dill is the district manager, and Barbara Jo Mills is the office manager. At the present time, the office employs about seven people who do billing and other correspondence for the district covering southeastern Iowa and western Illinois.Photos:
~ Cropmate Bulk Fertilizer Plant. – page 7
~ Cropmate mix plant office. – page 7.
~ Cropmate shop and spray equipment. – page 11.
~ Nichols Retail Plant for the Cropmate Ferilizer. – page 11
Company is owned and managed by Gary Mills, a lifelong resident of the Nichols area. He has managed the plant, formerly Standard Oil Fertilizer, for the past 7 ½ years. The Cropmate Co. carries a full line of liquid fertilizer, anhydrous ammonia, Ag chemicals and Ag related services. The retail plant employs two full-time and two part-time employees.
FARMERS AND MERCHANTS SAVINGS BANK
Nichols, Iowa Centennial Book 1884-1984, page 5
By Cheryl HontsIn 1934 the Farmers & Merchants Savings Bank of Lone Tree opened the office in Nichols, which is still maintained. The building was sold to R. A. Daedlow for $1100 on 25 May 1934. He was the first office manager, succeeded by E. J. Woolever, who bought the building on 4 September 1940.
On 20 January 1947, the building was sold by Woolever to George H. Grable, who managed the office until 1948, when the building was sold by him to Floyd A. Kirchner, who owned the building for 32 years.
On the morning of 18 December 1968, when Floyd came to work, he found that the building had been entered some time during the night. Considerable damage had been done to the building and its contents. Although less than $1000 in cash was taken, several thousand dollars in damage was done to the building. The loss was covered by insurance, but the vandals were never caught. The bank was closed only one day and was open for business as usual the following day.
Floyd Kirchner sold the building on 10 February 1980 to Terrence and Loretta B. Mealy, who now own it.
In 1979 construction of the new Farmers & Merchants Bank building was completed. It is located on Main Street, directly north of the Catfish Place. In this building, three offices were added, extra teller windows, a night depository and drive up facility. The office is currently managed by Keith Barnhart.
The structure is a symbol of strong economic growth and is a way of expressing confidence in the future of this community.
~ Photo of Nichols Office Farmers & Merchants Savings Bank. – page 5.
NICHOLS BANK ROBBERY
Nichols, Iowa Centennial Book 1884-1984, page 143On Thursday night, 18 December 1969, the Nichols office of the Farmers and Merchants Savings Bank of Lone Tree was broken into and robbed.
On Friday, Federal Bureau of Investigation agents, a representative of the Iowa Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Muscatine County Sheriff Richard Oppelt were in town investigating the matter.
The burglars apparently entered the office through a rear door some time after 7 o’clock on Thursday night, gaining entrance to the bank’s walk-in vault, where they used a cutting torch to cut a hole in the safe.
They escaped with about $1,000 in silver.
The break-in was discovered by F. A. Kirchner, who is in charge of the Nichols office, when he opened the bank for business on Friday morning.
KILE’S FEED & GRAIN
Nichols, Iowa Centennial Book 1884-1984, pages 6-7
By Krista Kile Kirkpatrick and Eldon “Bud” KileCentrally located in a farm community, Nichols seemed to be a great place to start a grain buying business. At least that is what Raymond Kile and Viola Kile thought when they were preparing to go into this business.
The Kiles bought a small parcel of land on the extreme east side of Nichols on Highway 22. The land was bought in 1963 from Clinton Brown. Shortly after, construction began.
The original “Kile’s Grain” consisted of a small office, an elevator leg and two grain bins that would hold approximately 1200 bushels of grain. The construction was completed in 1964, and the doors were opened for business.
A small crew, consisting mainly of Raymond Kile, Viola Kile and their son, Eldon Kile, brought the new business to life. At this time the business consisted solely of buying, selling and hauling soybeans, corn and oats.
In 1966 the Kiles became interested in offering livestock products to their farming customers. They bought into a Purina Chows dealership that was already established in Nichols. Along with the dealership, the Kiles purchased one of the larger building located in the center of the downtown area. Being able to offer the local farmers a more diversified field of services was indeed an advantage.
As time passed and business increased, the Kiles saw a need for more growth. The addition of a larger office and feed storage area came about in 1967. The building in the downtown area was sold to Art Black. In this way, the business was again in one location. With the new feed storage room came the option to offer custom mixing and delivery of livestock feeds.
The next major change for Kile’s Feed & Grain came about in 1970. At this time it was decided to discontinue the sale of Purina Chows and offer Kent Feeds to the farmers. To do this, the Kiles had to purchase a large storage building and small office on the opposite side of town. That is where the dealership existed at that time. Included in this purchase were a few acres of ground south of town. These acres were traded by Ben Nichols for some land across the street from the existing business.
Soon after that a large storage building was erected on the new land. This increased the amount of grain storage available by 210,000 bushels. This increased storage, plus a few years of high yielding crops, made the Kiles add another leg to their business. They also added a shop so they could do a lot of their own truck repairs and such work.
In 1979 the large storage building collapsed. Only a portion could be saved. Therefore, two large bins were erected to replace the building.
In 1980 Eldon Kile became the new owner of Kile’s Feed & Grain. Most of the people in Nichols know him only as “Bud.” Services now offered by Bud Kile vary from the original grain buying to selling bean meal, animal health care products and fence repair equipment.
Kile’s Feed & Grain has gone through a lot of changes in the last twenty years. Hopefully, most of the changes have been for the better. Although the business has grown, we at Kile’s hope that the personal service has remained one of our best features. This was only made possible through the hard work of good employees and the fine farming community of the Nichols area.Photos:
~ Kile’s Feed & Grain. – page 6.
~ Kile’s aerial photos of Nichols area were taken from atop this elevator leg. – page 6.
~ Kile’s Feed and Grain – This is an aerial view of Kile’s Feed and Grain. – page 7.
“Boom Town” Nichols was “boom town” again the night of 5 November 1980 when the metal building at Kiles Feed and Grain collapsed. Residents described the sound like that of a freight train as almost half of the 90,000 bushels of grain stored in the building came rushing out onto the ground. The losses are not covered by insurance, and Kiles are waiting for examiners from the building manufacturer before recovering the grain.
Nichols, Iowa Centennial Book 1884-1984, page 148
MERSCHMAN SOYBEAN & O’s GOLD SEED CORN DEALERSHIP
JACK AND STEVE SALEMINK
Nichols, Iowa Centennial Book 1884-1984, page 8
By John SaleminkThe dealership is located at our farm 2 ½ miles west of Nichols.
First sales were made as a dealer for Clemens Seed Company, Beaman, Iowa, in the spring of 1963. Their district man, George Eihler of Nevada, Iowa, stopped by in the fall and said he needed a place to drop off some seed he’d sold in our area, including some oats he’d sold to Nick Schmitt. He also knew my uncle who also lived in Nevada at the time.
We continued to be a dealer for Clemens until aSbout 1974, when we also became a dealer for Merschman Seed Company at West Point. In 1976 we dropped Clemens and have been with Merschman’s since. We have also handled McCubbins’ line of seed since 1979. We offer a complete line of small seeds, oats and soybeans.
In the fall of 1974 we were offered a seed corn dealership from O’s Gold Seed Company at Parkersburg, Iowa. That was the year of the early frost, and seed corn was very scarce the following spring.
In 1979 I was hired as a supervisor for Scott, Muscatine, Cedar and Johnson Counties and am responsible for ten dealerships plus my own at this time.Photos:
~ O’s Gold and Merschman Seed Co. Field Day. – page 8.
~ O’s Gold and Merschman float entered by Jack Salemink in 1981 Nichols Day Parade, 1st place in commercial division. – page 8.
MILLS MOTOR COMPANY
Nichols, Iowa Centennial Book 1884-1984, pages 2
By Wilma MillsFirst record of ownership of the property was Samuel Nichols in 1894. It was sold to Louis Kern February 1906, who in turn sold it to Frederick H. Schmitt and William R. Schmitt in September 1906. It was recorded as Center Addition to the Town of Nichols.
The Schmitts sold the property to B. F. Swickard in October 1911, and he sold it to William Oostendorp in March 1914. He sold it to E. Ray Swickard and Hazel Swickard and Frank Grigg and Verna Grigg in 1920. They sold it to Frank E. Mills and Wilma Mills and Augusta Kirchner in September 1928. In 1930 it was deeded to Frank E. and Wilma C. Mills. In January 1961, Victor F. Mills and Barbara J. Mills bought the building from Wilma C. Mills.
In 1938 the second floor of the building was remodeled with a maple floor, stage and adjoining kitchen. A wide stairway, ticket booth and rest rooms were installed on the west end. The first dance after the remodeling was in December 1938, featuring Dusty Keaton’s band from Iowa City.
Other bands that played at the Mills Motor Club Room were Bob Kornemans, Johnny Ruby, Burt Mills and Gang, Tom Owens, Pershsing Elder’s Night Raiders, Carney’s 5 (Lee Carney) and many charivari dances.
In 1939 a roller skating rink was opened, and movies were shown once or twice a week for a few years.. Doc Baker’s Medicine Show (where you could buy a good bottle of snake oil or ointment) was held there, also. The Delta Alpha Circle of the Christian Church held monthly meetings, as well as the ladies of the Catholic Church, until both churches got their own building. Use of the Club Room was discontinued in the late 1950s.
In 1960, when Highway 22 (Ijem Avenue) was paved, the gas pumps were moved from the north side to the east side, necessitating removal of the east section of the building, with a driveway being installed on this side. In 1968 the old Town Hall was purchased as an addition to the building on the west side.
Mills Motor Company has been on the same corner for 55 years. Frank E. Mills operated the business until his death in 1956. Victor Mills joined his father in 1955, and his son, Phillip Mills, has been working with Vic since 1975.Photos:
~ Mills Motor Co. [a family business] has been on the same corner for 55 years. – page 2.
~ Frank Yedlik and Frank Mills. Early interior of Mills Motor. – page 3.
NICHOLS AUCTION
Nichols, Iowa Centennial Book 1884-1984, page 8The Nichols Auction, located two miles east of the junction of state highways 22 and 70 east of town, was started in the early 1960s by Clarence Durst and Ruth Durst. It operated as a consignment auction on Friday evenings.
The business thrived, and in 1970 it was sold to Bernard Flanders and Lou Flanders.
Currently operated by John Smith and Denise Smith, the auctions are still held on Friday evenings and attract both buyers and consignors from miles around.
The hours for accepting consignments are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. until noon on Saturdays.
The auctions start at 7 o’clock on Friday nights and are usually over by 11 p.m. There are two to three auctioneers selling a large variety of merchandise all evening. Are you looking for furniture, tools, antiques, coins, household items, knick-knacks or live animals?? Then come to the Nichols Auction!!
The Nichols Auction is located ten miles west of Muscatine or four miles east of Nichols. The phone number is (319) 723-4354.~ Photo of Nichols Auction House. – page 8.
PIKE’S PEAT
Nichols, Iowa Centennial Book 1884-1984, page 12
This article was excerpted from “Current News” which is published by Eastern Iowa Light and Power Cooperative, dated 25 October 1976.A peat bog? In Muscatine county! In Pike township!
Peat bogs are not common in Iowa. One usually thinks of Ireland or France or Minnesota as bog country. But there is a bog, and a good one, about two miles southeast of Nichols.
This bog has been slowly forming for more than 38,000 years – or 18 centuries B. C. Peat is formed at the rate of one inch in 400 years. The peat deposit in the bog near Nichols averages eight feet deep. So Pike township has quietly nourished a peat bog for 38 centuries – waiting for an enterprising person like Ross McGlothlen of Muscatine.
Ross McGlothlen is a man of many talents. When he was told about the Nichols bog, Ross purchased the 76 acre tract. Harvesting and processing peat dovetail neatly into the equipment at his Custom Feeds, Inc., plant at the south edge of Muscatine.
The peat McGlothlen processes from the Nichols bog will be the carrier for inoculants of soybeans, peanuts, peas and other legumes. Peat is high in organic content and a natural habitat for rhizobium bacteria that provides nitrogen for legume crops. Thje inoculant is applied through a herbicide attachment on the planter.
At the bog, McGlothlen cleared an entry road and moved in a heavy drag line. The drag line moves on wooden mats, digging and piling peat. The “canal” created by removal of the peat serves as a drainage ditch which is pumped constantly to provide dryer footing for the equipment and to remove some of the moisture from the peat. Clear water from the pump flows naturally into the nearby Cedar River.
When other areas are worked, ditches will be dug to flow into the main “canal.” In a peat bog, water is immediately under the surface.
Have you ever felt an earthquake? Try standing near a peat bog dragline when the bucket is dropped. The ground quivers and shakes beneath your feet. It’s a strange sensation, even if there is no danger.
McGlothlen believes there are more than one-half million tons of peat, dry basis, in the boggy sixty acres of the tract. Best estimates indicate there are 14,000 yards of peat per acre.
“I don’t think we will ever run out of peat,” said Ross, “and selling it is no problem.” In five days of dragging, about 1,200,000 pounds were piled beside the drainage ditch.
The peat is trucked to the Custom Feeds plant for drying, pelletizing and crumbleizing. The plant can process one million pounds of finished product in one hundred working days. The crumbleized peat is delivered to an Illinois company, where it is sprayed with rhizobium bacteria and bagged for commercial use.
Peat, according to McGlothlen, was formed in the Pike township bog by thousands of years of reed (cat tail) growth in the marshy area. Each year the reeds die and form a mat on the surface. As they decay, the matted roots and stalks sink below the surface. New plants take their place. Through the years, the plants under the surface become a packed mass which would have become coat with sufficient heat and pressure.
Brown peat, near the surface, can be mixed with molasses and other ingredients to make feed for farm animals. Black peat, located below the brown, contains a large amount of nitrogen, desirable as fertilizer.~ Photo: “Ross McGlothlen of Muscatine surveys his peat bog, near Nichols, from which he plans to harvest and process more than one-half million tons of peat. In the background, Jim Storjohann works the dragline that removes the peat from it ancient bed.”
PHOTO INDEX of OTHER BUSINESSES
Nichols, Iowa Centennial Book 1884-1984~ Casey’s General Store was built by Bruce Kirchner for a gas station in 1956. It has served as a gas station with several different owners until 1981, when Casey’s remodeled the building and turned it into a grocery store and gas station. – page7.
~ Ceramics and Gifts on Ijem Avenue started three years ago in the basement by Rose Newton and Yvonne Holcomb. Nine months later it was moved upstairs. In December of 1983 Holcomb sold to Newton. – page 9.
~ Elder Implement, a family business, is owned and operated by the Poeltlers. [George Poeltler and sons.] – page 4
~ Elder Implement – 1953 – Bill “Red” Hollenbeck, Silvis Lamb, George Poeltler, Bill Lamb. – page 5.~ Hesters Grain and Fertilizer is owned by John and Linda Hester. They sell fertilizer, farm chemicals, and spray equipment. They also buy and sell grain. – page 10.
~ Hesters office and scale. – page 10.~ Julie’s Styling Center. There has been a beauty shop at this location on Ijem Avenue for at least 20 years, now operated by Julie Hamilton. – page 9.
~ Law office of Terrence L. Mealy is located in the former branch bank building. Legal services are available Wednesday afternoons. – page 10.
~ Ma & Pa’s Bar & Grill was started by Bill and Carrie Han a few years ago. In 1983 it was sold to Ron and Emma Rohr. The building is owned by Bob Kaalberg. The tavern serves lunches and has an electronic game room. – page 10.
~ Ron’s Feed Service [by Ron Oostendorp and Ellen Oostendorp] is located at the former Hawkeye Lumber Co. They sell livestock feeds and animal health products. – page 9.
~ S/M Service, Nichols office, is operated by Deb Carter and Don Forbes. They sell and apply fertilizer and farm chemicals. – page 11.
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