Scott, while Scott was post-master the name of the post-office was changed to "Ontario." Scott resigned and Frank M. Coffelt was appointed post-master and is still acting. Later—just removed.
About 1861 or '62 W. H. Fitchpatrick was appointed postmaster at "College Farm" but resigned in 1864, and A. J. Graves succeeded him. While Mr. Graves was acting the office was moved to Ames and the name of the office, in accordance. The first post-master in Ames was Henry F. Kingsbury, in 1865. Mr. Kingsbury was also the first express agent and first station agent at Ames.
The post-office at Kelley was created about 1875 or '76. J. S. McCoy is the present post-master at Kelley, and S. S. Arnold is ticket agent.
There are two church buildings at Kelley, one a Baptist and the other a Congregational.
It is claimed Noah Webster built the first dwelling house at Ames which was late in the fall of 1865. Dr. Phipps was the first physician. L. Q. Hoggatt, L. Irwin and — Rainbolt built the first warehouse for grain. J. Q. Leffingwell was the first blacksmith. As to the first dwelling houses in or where Ames now is, I will name two; Rev. I. H. Rees lived in a log house near Squaw Creek and in what now is southwest Ames, some ten years before Ames was surveyed. Mr. Rees settled there about 1854. The other house referred to was also a log house and built about 1856, by George H. Crossly, (Major G. W. Crossley's father,) and stood near a spring near the summit of the hill. The house stood nearly precisely where Mr. Born's house wag afterwards built, and was on the summit above the spring. This Crossly house was in section 2, township 83, range 24, and was near the south line of said section and a few rods west of the southeast corner of the section. This was built some eight years before Ames came up. The Kintzley house was built near the same time and stood near where Esq. J. H. Keigley now resides; perhaps a little west.
Ames was incorporated in 1869. Its first Mayor was Wm. West, a man who was well qualified for its first Mayor. W. D. Lucas was the second; Wm. Clark, third; C. E. Turner, fourth; Walter Evans, fifth; Wm. Clark, sixth; Geo. A. Underwood, seventh; E. R. Chamberlain, eighth; Geo. G. Tilden, nineth; Henry Wilson, Jr., tenth; Henry Wilson, Jr., eleventh; J. Watts, twelfth; John Watts, thirteenth; Parley SHELDON, fourteenth; M. C. Jones, fifteenth, the present one, January, 1887.
The list of post-masters for Ames is as follows: Henry Kingsbury, 1865, was the first; second, L. Q. Hoggatt; third, Samuel L. Lucas; fourth, Mrs. Hattie Lucas; fifth, John Watts; sixth, Parley SHELDON, who is the present (1886) post-master for Ames.
The new warehouse is about fifty-five or sixty feet south of the ticket office.