supporters that it was nearly impossible to find a parking place in McCallsburg. Garden City won the class "A" division and a purse of $50.00.
Until World War II, almost every town had an organized baseball team. These town teams competed on Sunday afternoons before large crowds. Because of a town ordinance banning Sunday ball games, the games were played on the diamond in Vallem's pasture on the edge of town, now the government bin site. In about 1930 the town boasted an especially good team, made up of the four Thompson brothers: Sanford, Julius, Morris, and Earl, plus Homer Lewis, Oscar Chelsvig, Weston Olson, Lester Menzel, Bill Moody, etc. Sanford and Julius were considered to be the best baseball pitchers in this area. Bill Moody, who once played with the Des Moines Demons, could be depended upon to come through with a home run to win the old ball game. World War II drained the community of its young men and put an end to the town teams.
Things had come to a standstill in the town because of the depression, but in the late thirties economic conditions began to improve. Then on December 7, 1941, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor interrupted the peace and quiet of the community. Many young men went into the service of their country, imposing quite a hardship on both the young and the old. War bond drives were conducted as a patriotic gesture in the community. Unfortunately, three of our fine young men were casualties of the war: Donald Caltvedt, Raymond Aasheim, and Craig Conley.
Some of the servicemen started returning to their homes and families as early as 1945. Many took up careers in the community and have played important roles in the progress of the town. The big problem confronting the married veterans was the housing shortage, as no new homes had been constructed in the town for many years. Willis Mills moved a house into town from the country and remodeled it into a fine home. John Caltvedt and Harlan Tett built new houses. Soon after that, Glen Boston bought a country schoolhouse, moved it into town and made it into a residence. Then Gordon Woster brought a schoolhouse from near Jewell and did likewise. The Mills Plumbing Shop is also housed in a former country schoolhouse. Kenneth Neeld built a new house in the extreme northwest part of town which is now the residence of Mrs. Homer Lewis.
In 1948, William Tett started the new Implement building west of his two-story building. Like his father before him, he did most of the construction himself. At about the same time, the State Bank & Trust Company erected a new building just to the west, so the open space left by the 1925 fire was nearly filled again. Also in 1948 the Samuel Reid American Legion Post constructed a 40 by 100 foot building for use as a community hall as well as a home for the Post. Neither the Presbyterian Dorcas Hall nor the Lutheran Parish House would accomodate a very large crowd. The community donated generously toward this project - both money and labor. The building was used for many events, including Lutheran church services while the new church was under construction. On two occasions the building was nearly lost by fire, but the fire was noticed in time to extinguish it.
After so much loss to fire, a fire truck was purchased for the community in 1948 by the township trustees. The town agreed to operate and maintain the truck in return for its use in town. Warren Township and McCallsburg jointly built a fire station on the site of the old town hall and jail. Until this time the town had only two old two-wheel push carts with soda acid extinguishers. These were either pushed to the fire by hand or loaded on a truck for a country fire. After the contents were discharged, the tanks had to be refilled with water and recharged with soda and acid. These carts helped to extinguish many fires, but there was property which could have been saved with our present equipment.
This truck has served us well for twenty years, and has probably paid for itself more than once in the value of property saved. Then in 1952 a new $40,000.00 city water system was installed which added to the effectiveness of the fire truck. Later on, a used gasoline delivery truck was acquired and converted into a "tanker" truck to shuttle water to the fire truck on country calls. These two pieces of equipment are manned by a fifteen-man volunteer department. These men respond to calls by telephone and fire whistle at any time of the day or night in all kinds of weather for $2.00 per call.
At about this same time, the telephone system was converted to a dial system. Other than some dial service in Ames, McCallsburg was the first community in Story to have dial telephones. Although this was a vast technical improvement in our telephone service, the patrons regretted losing the services of the local telephone switchboard operator.
In this same period of time, the Bethany Lutheran congregation voted to build a new church. In June of 1950 the old wood church in the extreme northwest corner of town was torn down, and later that summer the new church was started. Services were held in the basement of the church after the basement was completed. Construction of the new church required about three years. The congregation did additional construction later, and on April 28, 1968, dedicated a new educational wing housing twelve class rooms.
In 1953 the McCallsburg School District added to the school building. The addition housed a large combination auditorium and gymnasium, lunch room, a fine shop, and science facilities.
In addition to public improvements, an even dozen additional homes have been built since 1952. Harlan Tett sold his first house and built his present home. Vern Nelson built one house and sold it, then built another. Other new homes have been built by Harold Hanson, Lorene Sandvick, Bert Bergland, Clifford Amdahl, Clyde Elliott, Celia Wolfe, Gerald Vallem, Owen Fincham, and John Johnson. In addition, Doctor DuBois remodeled his home into a beautiful office and residence. Jim Carey built a basement house, and this is now being completed by Roger Murrell. In addition, other houses have been moved in and remodeled, and several mobile homes are scattered through the town.
With the addition of church and school facilities, the demand for the Legion building lessened, and in 1960