The Tingley Hotel was build by Willis KARR. It isn't known the year it was built but it appears on the 1894 atlas as standing where the JOHNSON Oil Station is located today [1983]. Following is the history of the hotel:

The man standing on top of the building was throwing down balloons for prizes. People in front of the store were waiting to catch the balloons.

The structure to the right is the fire bell tower. Whenever there was a fire, someone would pull on the rope, summoning help, and all would form a bucket brigade at the well under the tower.

Mr. and Mrs. H. E. TUTTLE had a general store (today's BRECKENRIDGE Store), the earliest records being 1903 until 1918, when the stock of merchandise was sold to W. W. MILLER. It changed hands several times, then W. S. BRECKENRIDGE moved his general store there in 1923.

August, 1906 - A fire destroyed two of Tingley's business houses and caused a loss of about $7,000. The insurance amonted to $4,100.

During the heavy electrical storm, lightning struck the C. C. BOSWORTH building occupied by N. G. WHISLER with a stock of general merchandise. By the time the fire company and citizens arrived, the entire store was on fire and nothing could be saved. Attention was directed to the D. W. WATSABAUGH building just four feet west occupied by the Vindicator. When it was found impossible to save it, many willing hands helped to move the Vindicator plant. A hole was chopped in the west wall and the large Gordon Jobber pulled through even after the flames were all about it. For a time it looked as if C. Horton COYE'S building west of the Vindicator would burn, so the switch board was cut out and taken to H. B. HAYDEN'S residence.

August 30, 1906 - Ideal weather, splendid music, good free attractions, fine colt show, ball games and all tend to make the sixth tournament the best of all. The weather being so delightful, we had large crowds, estimated from 3,000 to 4,000 on Thursday and Saturday, and 5,000 to 6,000 on Friday.

We were all proud of the Tingley band and the excellent music they presented. They played almost all day long excepting during the ball games. When there seemed to be a lull in the program, band master J. W. ASBURY would start the music to going.

This splendid organization numbering 60 persons, presented an attractive appearance with the white and blue costumes of the ladies - blue ties, skirts and saddle blankets, and white caps and waists. The gentlemen had red saddle blankets. Red, white, and blue plumes were on the horses' heads. they performed many difficult evolutions, riding in twos, fours, eights and twelves, keeping an elegant line and doing many other difficult things. A needle threading contest by ladies riding at a gallop was won by Miss Fay STANLEY in 9 seconds with Miss Louella HOUSE second in 19 seconds. Great credit is due to Prof. E. N. DeWITT for the successful training of these young people in this riding exhibition.

Saturday forenoon's colt show was a success.

At the horse show the driving teams was very nice indeed. In the single drivers, Luke SHAY got first and Dr. HANNELLY second. The saddle horse exhibit was won by E. N. DeWITT first, and Joe CLEVER of Humeston second.

The McCOY family were the star attractions and presented 8 acts Friday. Mr. and Mrs. McCOY were jugglers, and Mr. McCOY a slack wire performer. He rode a bicycle, climbed a ladder and did many other astonishing things. Little Everett McCOY, age 11, walked the high wire and stood on his head on the wire 40 feet above the street. He also turned a backward somersault on a moving slack wire and landed on his feet on the wire.

The dog, a Scotch Terrier, climbed a 40 foot ladder and jumped off into a net.

The first day, thee were only two teams present - Clarinda, Iowa and Ridgeway, Missouri. Not all the Clarinda players were present so L. A. TOPE and Lloyd ANDERSON went into the game with Lute EIGHME on the bench. Games also were played in Friday and Saturday.

P. E. KEESLER was present with his electric theater or moving picture show in the furniture building beside the postoffice. His two made-up darkies entertained the crowd with song and dance before each exhibition.

The watermelon stand . . . of pleasure. The merry-go-round was generally well crowded. Shooting galleries, baby racks, hamburger and lunch booths, candy and lemonade stands, the six-legged South American ox and the panoramic view of the San Francisco earthquake all helped entertain the people at a very moderate price. The Myrtle Vinton Company presented highly entertaining plays at the opera house each evening of the tournament.

STANDING, L-R: Frank GRAY, Harness Shop; Bert HASS, Banker; Luke SHAY, Real Estate; L. F. HALL, Mayor & Real Estate.

SEATED, L-R: Wally STEWART, Auctioneer; C. M. RICHARDSON, Lumber Yard.

October 18, 1906 - At about 4:40 Tuesday morning, an alarm of fire was given, and the old Senate House, which has not been used for hotel purposes for about five years, was found to be all on fire in the second story.

Willing hands brought out the fire engine, hose cart and hook and ladder truck, while others were busy taking out the Kratzer buggies stored by Jo. C. MaHAFFEY in the first story of the Senate House, and also removing Capt. STEWART'S office fixtures, poultry and produce stuff.

Shortly after the siamese coupler was put on and two streams turned on the fire, a bolt broke in the engine and only one side of the pump could be used. Then it took hard work by the bucket brigade and engine men to save NELSON & NELSON'S hardware building. The origin of the fire is a complete mystery, some suggesting spontaneous combustion, others mice or rats and matches. No one was known to have occupied the second story for several years, not since it was used for hotel purposes.

March 7, 1907 - A roller skating rink was conducted in the opera house the first three evenings of this week, but like the public dances in Tinley, it was a failure because of the non-attendance of the ladies. Tingley is much better off without the dances and the skaing rink. All honor to the Tingley ladies for boycotting both.

March 14, 1907 - CHRISTOPHER Bros. installed last week in their blacksmith hope a two-horse Stover gas engine. It will run all their machinery.

June 13, 1907 - Tingley has an automobile owned by Cecil and Lawrence HAVER. It arrived yesterday and is propelled by treadle. They are showing their young friends many pleasant times riding about the city.

June 27, 1907 - G. A. SLENTZ sold 2,000 cakes of soap in one day last week. That's pretty good for a place the size
of Tingley.

July 4, 1907 - The eight-foot cement walk onthe south side of Main Street is the greatest permanent public improvement since we came to Tingley. Mr. RICHEY had almost a half-block of walk to build. Other property owners on this line were R. S. SPURRIER, the Tingley Bank, Frank GRAY, and the City Hall. Work was begun Tuesday on an eigth-foot walk on the north side of the street between HEYER'S and Luke SHAY'S. John ELLIS and his men did the work.

[Most all of the cement walks were poured from 1906 to 1909.]

July 11, 1907 - Vivian ASBURY is the first young lady in Tingley to own an autombile. She makes it move quickly.

July 18, 1907 - Paul STEWART is the latest possessor of an automobile. He is a little too small to make it go fast.

August 1, 1907 - For $12 at Peter PETERSOHN'S wagon factory in Tingley. (Adv.)

August 29, 1907 - Between 600 and 700 persons guessed on the weight of the block of Centerville coal at the RICHEY Lumber Yard. Guesses ranged from 400 to 3100 pounds, and it weighed 1249 pounds. Dr. WHISLER guessed 1250 and Perry BUCHANAN 1248, so they divided the lump between them.

October 10, 1907 - Owing to the high price of feed and grain, it is necessary that we increase the prices for draying:

Delivering coal 1 1/2-cents per bushel for filling coal house, or 35-cents per ton for single ton.

Single barrel 25-cents, or two or more 15-cents each.

Express packages 10-cents each.

Everything else in proportion.

Harry ASHENHURST, Roy McDOWELL, and J. W. McDOWELL. (Adv.)

October 19, 1907 - Now that cool evenings are here, and especially since eight bums were here in one day last week, it seems that a night watch is needed.

October 24, 1907 - This morning, the MARTIN residence north of Tingley, better known as the Mordecai SMITH place, was totally destroyed by fire caused by a defective chimney. The house was an old landmark, having stood there for 40 years or more.

(Located across the road from the cemetery; Julia HENDERSON said it was used by the "Underground Railroad" to hide slaves.]

December 26, 1907 - C. C. BOSWORTH reports 92 teams hitched to the rack in Tingley at 3 o'clock Saturday afternoon.

April 16, 1908 - While in Des Moines, C. C. HAVER purchased a Reo, and a beauty. An expert from the house drove the machine from Des Moines with Mr. HAVER. Tingley is forging ahead.

[Tingley's first real auto!]

April 16, 1908 - Letter Post Photos ~ Twelve photographs of yourself in novel style. SMITH Studio. (Adv.)

April 30, 1908 - Messrs. Homer IBBOTSON, far right, and Leslie McCLURE are the champions. In a contest at the opera house restaurant, Homer ate 20 and Leslie 16.

May 7, 1908 - The Tingley Commercial Club has been busy looking for new industries. The most flattering prospect is the Geneseco Canning Company. They must be guaranteed 2,000 acres of sweet corn and peas. The proposition is up to our farmer friends now to guarantee the acerage. The plant will be a money maker for the farmers. They will employ 300 hands. Sweet corn brings the farmers from $25 to $40 per acre and peas from $40 to $75 per acre after paying for the seed.

May 7, 1908 - At the regular meeting of the Tingley Commercial Club Tuesday evening, the correspondence regarding the canning factory was taken up. Every farmer interviewed was in favor of the project. The water supply needed by the canning facotry, for fire protection and general use, is being made the subject of earnest effort. The Club is pledged to secure two large wells for immediate needs. A water system can be secured for $2, 500 that will afford good protection.

May 14, 1908 - James REYNOLDS of Shannon City began running a meat wagon to Tingley and hereafter on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

The Old SWAIN Store moved from Eugene; Tingley Bank (building still stands today [1983]); Frank HURST Meat Market; Frank GRAY Harness Shop; A[ndy]. J. MORRIS City Bakery; City Hall and Jail; Lumber Yard.

May 21, 1908 - At the special meeting of the Tingley Commercial Club, the waterworks committee made a report of progress. A preliminary survey would cost $150, money well invested for a system to cost about $2,500. The city has no bonded indebtedness now and we are allowed to issue bonds of five per centum of actual value of taxable property for waterworks, electric light and power plants, gas works, and heating plants, or of building and constructing sewers. there is nearly $97,000 of personal property in Tingley corporation, and real estate is greatly in excess of that sum. with a system of waterworks, we will be in a position to secure such concerns as the Genesco Canning Factory requiring a large water supply. But the best thing will be fire protection and consequent cheaper insurance rates. The Club urges citizens of Tingley to boost for a complete system of waterworks.

July 23, 1908 - The first automobile accident in or near Tingley happened to Chas. HAVER on the road west of town. Merrill ASBURY was with Mr. HAVE; both were thrown out but not seriously injured. The Reo suffered a fracture of one wheel.

August 27, 1908 - Final preparations were made at a special meeting of the Tournament and Fair committees. It was voted to have two rest rooms for ladies and children with combs, basins, water, looking glasses, and cleanly necessary adjuncts; seats and benches along the sidewalks on both sides of Main Street. The stock tent will be on the north side of Main Street; and tent for fancy work, culinary, farm and garden and poultry departments just east of STEWART & Son's. The merry-go-round in the street near the ENGLE House and a platform near SLENTZ'S and RICHARDSON'S.

September 10, 1908 - TINGLEY'S BEST FALL FAIR. The most successful of all Tingley Tournaments . . . the largest crowd ever assembled in Tingley that day, nearly 6,000 persons. . .

October 15, 1908 - The International gasoline engine bought of the local agent, Frank GRAY, has been installed and this issue of the Vindicator will be printed by power other than kicking a treadle. It is a contrary beast to control, but no more than any other gasoline engine. When we get it tamed to start at once, we will be happy - and we are learning fast.

  December 31, 1908 - Macelle STEINKAMP (MORRISON) was the lucky girl to draw the big doll at COYE'S Drug Store.

January 14, 1909 - George GOURSUCH was injured when his horse became frightened at the passenger train when near the bridge and suddenly overturned the cart on him, dragging him underneath it for a considerable distance before kicking itself loose. Mr. GOURSUCH was brought to Dr. NELSON'S office with two fractured ribs and several scalp wounds.

[This is one of many horse and buggy accidents that were recorded in the Vindicator.]

December 21, 1911 - Ringold County lost in population from 1900 to 1910 from 15,326 to 12,904.

February 8, 1912 - Messrs. O. W. ROUSH and R. E. HALTOM began filling the ice houses at BOSWORTH'S and the Opera House Cafe yesterday. Jesse JONES of Union County has the contract for the work and the eight men assisting him. Ira SMITH and John LEE are packing the ice in the houses, and Fletcher and Dan HILL, Harry and Walter BERRY, Leonard GRIMES, and Floyd OVERHOLTZER are harvesting the ice and hauling it to the houses.

The ice, taken from A. R. FRANKLIN'S pond, is about 20 inches thick and of fine quality.

[The meat market, restaurants, drug store, and general stores all needed ice, as well as there was usually an icebox in each home which had to be replenished and quite frequently with a new block of ice. Ice was stored in the ice houses, packed in sawdust.]

February 8, 1912 - Work of filling the large ice house at the meat market began Tuesday when a car load of ice was received from Ellston. Two more cars arrived yesterday, and it may require three or four more car loads to fill the house. The ice is from 18 to 20 inches thick.

[They ended with 250 tons.]

February 29 1912 - The snow storm which began Sunday afternoon was the worst for years, according to older inhabitants. Snow drifts were sometimes wonderful to behold, many being 10 to 12 feet deep and the average depth of the snow was 3 to 4 feet. The snow plow, pushed by three engines, was started Monday from Keokuk and did not reach Red Oak until Tuesday noon. It went through here about 40 miles an hour and plowed easily through the 12 foot drift with the full length of the 700 foot cut west of town. Trains were running with two engines on about schedule yesterday, but travel on the wagon roads will be slow for many days yet.

April 11, 1912 - Ladies, bring your combin's and cut hair to me and have them made up in an up-to-date manner. I make Switches, Puffs, Curles, and Coronets. Also buy comin's and cut hair. The price of Switches is 50-cents; Braids, $1.50. Mrs. Nellie QUICK. (Adv.)

  June 27, 1912 - The fire bell town which has stood in the center of the intersection of Main and Depot streets for about 17 years was taken down Monday morning and moved to the SPURRIER lots near Tingley Elevator. It will be erected just south of the Christian Church, later to mount the new bell which the ladies of that church are raising funds to purchase. The fire bell was immeditely placed on top of the city hall with ropes hanging outside the building in easy reach for use in case of an alarm being needed.

  June 27, 1912 - H. H. DUFTY began work Tuesday noon on the new band stand where the fire bell tower stood. The stand is octagon in shape and 15 feet in diameter, with a cement foundation. The street lamp be swung from the center at the top.

July 25, 1912 - About 400 bushels of peaches were received Wednesday by H. E. TUTTLE.

October 24, 1912 - At a meeting of the Fair Association, it was voted to dispose of all its property, pay expenses and premiums of the 1912 Fair and cease to do business. Several things have conspired to bring about this result.

First, it required too much money to keep even a small fair like ours going. We are handicapped by poor railroad facilities so that people from neighboring towns cannot attend, there being no morning and evening trains.

The lease for the fair grounds had expired and Mr. McGUGIN wished to plow up the land.

It requires the unanimous support of the community. This the Association did not have.

We regret to record this, but it is the cold fact.

[Also, it rained almost every year, which kept people from getting their exhibits to the fair.]

October 24, 1912 - The Tingley Fair Association will sell all of the lumber belonging to the Association on the Fair Grounds, about 1000 feet of fencing and 100 cedar poles, at auction.

May 8, 1913 - The Good Roads Club has been organized. Tingley businessmen raised $225 for prizes. Farmers will file a plat of the road to be worked with E. D. SHERMAN; the road will be inspected before and after the contest.

May 15, 1913 - The Ayr Line has been changed by the Mt. Ayr men so that it goes directly north past the old fair grounds, the county fair, and on to Afton, missing Tingley by about a mile. We do not know how the farmers along the old route will like this change, but as for Tingley, we do not care a cent.

May 15, 1913 - The first road drag day was a success. An even dozen men came in on drags - one carrying two men. O. W. ROUSCH, manager of the Tingley Telephone Co., donated line calls Monday morning notifying the farmers they could come in on drags Monday or Tuesday and receive the prizes offered.

Street Commission Frank McGUGIN treated the farmers to soda water; others treated to cigars, and we all tried to show our appreciation.

Following are the names of those who rode drags into Tingley:

J. E. OVERHOLTZER, Will BUTTERFIELD, Henry LANDRETH, W. L. HENDERSON, A. MILLIGAN, H. R. BOYD, F. L. ASHENHURST, P. W. MILLER, P. R. BUCHANAN, H. L. IBBOTSON, G. B. WEEDA, and Eric ANDERSON for A. A. ALLEN.

June 19, 1913 - The third road drag day was a great success. Thirty-six drags registered, some with four horses and two men, so that about 50 farmers were in on drags that day. By far the cutest sight was to see George and Rowe EIGHME coming in on a drag "just as important as grown-up people." The greatest distance dragged was ten miles by Hallie BLACKMORE. About $150 was given in prizes by our businessmen. Average length was between 4 and 5 miles.

June 19, 1913 - The grading of Depot Street was quite successfully completed. Three teams on the road grader made things move nicely.

October 9, 1913 - Floyd and Dorothy MILLER and Lottie and Grace ARNOLD walked a part of the way to school Wednesday morning last week. Their horse got frightened and turned so suddenly it tipped the buggy over.

January 1, 1914 - E. H. LAY finished last week the big well near the Methodist Church. Tingley now has four big wells with an abundance of water to fight fires. Mr. LAY also did the big brick well at the Christian Church.

[Mr. LAY has a peg leg. Charles BENNETT can remember "Old Peg Leg" laying brick in a well when Charles was a child. "Old Peg Leg" had a tomato can on the end of the one leg. Charles said it was fascinating to watch him lay brick in a well and to work himself up, placing the leg with the tomato can on the ring of the brick on one side and the good leg on the brick on the other side of the well.]

June 18, 1914 - Jonas FENDER and Dr. H. D. SHEUMAKER hitched their Ford cars to the road drag and dragged the streets Monday. It was certainly a new thing for Tingley.

April 29, 1915 - Fire of an unknown origin destroyed the SPURRIER store room on the southwest corner of Main and Depot Streets about midnight Monday. Dr. S. W. DeLONG lost his office fixtures, medicine, instruments, and a splendid medical library. Geo. COOPER lost his barber shop fixtures. HEYER Bros. owned the building. HEYER & JONES had a stock of merchandise stored there. The building was the oldest in Tingley, having been moved over from Old Eugene in 1881 by Geo. SWAIN with its general stock.

July 29, 1915 - Dr. DeLONG on one side of the band stand and Jas. RICHARDS on the other started the parking of autos in the center of Main Street Saturday evening. At one time over 20 autos were parked.

March 9, 1916 - In R. E. FENDER'S pony contest, Carl HULLINGER of Ellston won with 1,625,650 votes. The other prize winners were: Clarence LANHAM, coaster sled; Chester BRECKENRIDGE, coaster wagon; Alan CHRISTOPHER, Jewell ROBINSON, Johnnie GILES, Gunar HJHORSTHOJ and LaVern ZARR, roller skates.

May 25, 1916 - Mrs. Cordelia CUNNINGHAM, who has three grown sons residing in Des Moines, is planning to move there. She expects to tear down the old livery barn and use the dimension stuff to build a residence in our capital city. Since advent of the auto livery, the horse livery has not been a very paying proposition.

June 8, 1916 - Equal suffrage is defeated by abut 5,000. Not so bad when one considers all the forces of evil that were arrayed against it, such as the foes of temperance, sobriety, and good government. The river counties were solidly against the amendment. We are proud of Tingley Township which gave Women's Suffrage a majority of 56, by a vote of 129 to 73.

July 6, 1916 - Ever since Tingley Township was organized over 40 years ago, C. C. BOSWORTH has been the township school treasurer. This year, owing to declining health, he refused to allow his name used, and G. E. KESTER was elected.

July 27 1916 - A prominent banker in a neighboring town says Tingley's excellent band is worth $500 to this city as a trade getter. People were here Thursday night from Mt. Ayr, Shannon City, Ellston, Arispe, and Beaconsfield.

August 17, 1916 - Left-handed cartoonist and sand modeler; lecture by Rev. Wm. BAILER on "Sure Cure for the Blues." In the evening T. Alex CAIRNS, the Irishman who "was born in Ireland when he was a boy," had started his lecture when a storm with tornado force struck the tent and greatly demolished it, breaking the large center pole in two and letting the tent down on the people. No one was seriously injured, but the tent was damaged and required over two days' steady work to repair it. Only about 75 people were in the tent when it collapsed, most of the crowd having started for their homes.

SOURCE: Tingley, Iowa Centennial: 1883 - 1983. Pp. 18, 20-32. PSI, Inc. Belmond IA. 1983.
Courtesy of Mount Ayr Public Library, September of 2011

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, September of 2011