H-I-S-T-O-R-Y 

of 

Washington Township 

Adams County, Iowa

A project of the Riverside Garden Club of Mt. Etna, Iowa, from Febr. 1936 to February 1937

Iowa American Revolution Bicentennial Commission

STATE HOUSE 2-2 DES MOINES, IOWA 50319

The facts were collected and arranged by

BELLE GOSSARD – President

GRACE FOX – Secretary

MARIE BOSWELL – Historian

History of 

Washington Township

Adams County, Iowa 

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THE HISTORY OF WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP

About 1850 a few families came to Washington Township and built their homes with logs. One day a rider brought the message, "The Indians are coming," so these early settlers took their possessions and hurried back to Burlington. They stayed there about a year; then some returned to their empty homes.

The first families who settled permanently were John Sprague, Adam Pore, and Morgan Warren. Sprague settled on what is now known as the Foote farm, Warren about one and one-half miles east of Mt. Etna, and Pore near old Eureka. 

The first white child born in Washington Township in the fall of 1852 was Scott Warren, son of Mr. and Mrs. Morgan Warren.

Near Eureka was a small spot of blue grass about the size of a room. It was the only blue grass in the country so people drove there to see it.

Tall prairie grass waved everywhere else. The only trees were along the streams.

The origin of the name "Mt. Etna" is not known, although there is a rumor that the first pioneers settled on the hill south of town known as Mt. Nebo. Later the town was moved farther north and the name was changed to Mt. Etna.

Mrs. Robert Schooling was responsible for naming Quincy, Iowa. She had lived in Illinois near the towns of Corning and Quincy. Also Adams County reminded her of John Quincy Adams so she named the town Quincy.

In 1852 Mr, and Mrs. Robert Schooling, parents of Mrs. Francis Thompson, with six children and Gld Farris and family came from Illinois. They came in two covered wagons, with four yoke of cattle and four horses. On March 13, 1854, William A. Furris, son of Mr. and Mrs. Gid Farris, was born.

In the fall of '52 Schooling's three horses strayed away. About three months later a traveler stayed overnight at their home and after hearing about these horses and their description, he said he was sure he had seen them on the falts this side of the Mississippi River. So Mr. Schooling borrowed Mr. Farris' horse and rode back and found his own horses.

Soon after Schoolings settled here, some Indians moving westward stopped with a little colt two days old and too small to keep up. They sold it to Mrs. Schooling for sixty cents.

During the first winter here they had to haul their corn from Missouri with ox teams.

The following year, 1853, Mr. and Mrs. Albert Boswell, parents of J. A. Boswell and Margaret Over, came from southwestern Missouri with five children. With them came Mrs. Lu Anna Ireland, a widow with eight children. They all came in one covered wagon.

In 1854 the Ingersols, parents of Mrs. John L. Thompson, and Snyders settled here.

Other settlers came fast from then on: the Haraders, Thompsons, Fees, Thomas, Homan, Stover, Gossard, Peterson, Powells, Mortons, Davis, and many families of which we have no record.

Before there were any grist mills in this community, the grain had to be taken to St. Joe with ox teams. At that time white flour was so scarce, that they had white flour biscuits only once a week, and that was for Sunday breakfast.

Lige Walters owned the first grist mill at Carbon.

Chris Harader cut nigger head rocks and started a grist mill at old Eureka. Then he established a saw mill. Later he purchased machinery for making flour. Harader also owned the first woolen mill. He first carded the wool for the people, later adding spinning jacks and a dyer so he could color and weave. 

Harader sold this whole factory to Sam Thomas. 

J. M. Frill worked in the woolen mill, but it closed because of scarcity of wool in this country. He then came to Mt. Etna, in its present location, and bought a store of Prickett who married Catherine Fees. Frill lived in the house now owned by Ote Abbey.

THE OLD MILL

In 1853 logs were cut and a dam built across the river straight south of Mt. Etna. The next year Jake Harader built the mill. Here he sawed lumber with a straight saw which ran up and down. After a few years Harader became sickly and wanted to go back to Indiana, so he traded the mill to Robert Schooling for a horse and went back to his old home.

Harader regained his health, came back to Mt. Etna, and traded for the mill again. Tiring of the mill, he sold it to Johnny Morton, brother-in-law. of Harader. He lived in a log house thirty yards east of Claud Gossard's present house. Morton put burrs in the mill and ground corn and wheat and soon made flour. He sold the mill to Chris Harader.

Time passed and the mill changed hands many times. It finally became just a flour and grist mill. Frank Gronert bought the mill and put in an engine as there was such a scarcity of water in the river after it was straightened in the fall of 1926, that he could not depend on water for power. This was not very satisfactory, and grain was scarce as people were not raising grain for their own flour so much. In the fall of 1929 the mill was moved to Creston south of the tracks.

The road from Mt. Etna to Carl was farther north than the present one. It went straight east of the corner where Dan Johnston now lives.

One evening Mary and John Harader, Martha Schooling, and Solomon Thomas started to Carl to church. Seeing an Indian encampment they decided to stop and visit. They were asked to sit down immediately. The Indians were sitting cross-legged about the camp fire Inside their wigwam. On the floor was a lovely woven reed carpet painted in very bright colors.  An Indian squaw was washing dishes in a large pan and leaning them against the center tent pole, near the fire, to dry. The Indians camped there about two months and then moved farther west. Many dogs and little Indian children were ever ready to rush out and greet the passerby.

The first post office in the township was called Mt. Washington and was located on the Ed Homan farm now owned by Ellsworth Ramsey. Edmund Homan was the postmaster.

The first school in Washington township was held in a log cabin west of the Mansfield store in Mt. Etna. Mr. George Russell, the great grandfather of Howard, Dallas, Dale, Clarence, and Irene, was the first teacher. He boarded around with the parents, as part payment of his salary. One windy winter evening while he was staying with the Schoolings, Mr. Russell was attempting to help two little girls, Martha and Susie, over the ice which extended from Mt. Etna to the river, when he lost his hat. He was rather stout and had quite a difficult time chasing it as it sailed away across the icy field to the east, much to the delight of the two little girls

The second school of Washington township opened in 1852 in Gid Farris’ cooper building. A cooper made barrels and kegs. The school ran about three months during the winter with Ed Homan as teacher. Shelves around the side of the building served as desks, and the pupils sat on benches. Slates were used a great deal, but when they used paper, they wrote on it with goose quills using the boiled bark of black oak for ink. The importance of being a good writer was stressed. Other subjects studied were reading, arithmetic, spelling, and some grammar. The following pupils went to school to Mr. Homan: Joseph, William, Mary, Martha, and Ruben Schooling; Mary Jane, Garland, Martha, Ann, and Margaret E Boswell; Mary Jane Carnes. Later a school house was built west of the First Baptist Church.

Before Margaret Boswell Over was old enough to go to school, her mother would send her through the timber to Gid Farris’ to borrow meal. She had no trouble getting there but always had to go to the school nearby and get her sister Martha to help her over the fence so she could go home.

In 1853 the first store in Mt. Etna was located south of the Brethren church. It was owned by Robert Mansfield.

The township was organized March 8, 1858. 

The first Sunday School in the county was held in Robert Schooling's house near Harry Roger's home. About the same time Mull Holland, a Methodist minister, preached there.

The Dunkards held meetings called "Soup Meetings'' in a barn located east of the Claude Gossard residence. They made the soup in a large iron kettle hung in the back yard.

At approximately the year 1850 the cemetery on the "Slide-Off" was started. The following list of graves is known:

Infant of Isiah Fees 

Infant of Ed and Ellen Homan 

Infant of Albert and Sally Boswell

Infant of Morgan Warren

Infant of Mortons 

Isaac Morton

Sarah Morton 

Mose Morton

John Warren

Cannes Ingersol

In 1867 the first grave was made in the Baptist Cemetery, Forest Hill, by the burial of Felix Schooling's baby. Felix Schooling gave two acres to the cemetery and sold five more later to the church. He reserved several lots, on one of which stands the Civil War Monument inscribed with the names of soldiers' never brought back.

The first grave in the Mt. Etna Cemetery was that of Mrs. Mansfield. The following is a list of those buried near the monument east of the Charles Foote barn: 

Mrs. Sprague.

Infant of Spragues 

Child of Mrs. Sprague's sister

McDaniel's twin babies (Mrs. McDaniel was a sister of Alice Fees Brower's step-mother.) 

There is one grave left in the little cemetery that was started on a mound south east of Henry Kissler's home. It is the grave of the Hutton child. John Thompson, father of Francis and John L, was buried there in 1857. At the time of Mrs. Thompson's death in 1877 the body was moved to the Baptist Cemetery. 

Jakie Harader, five years old, was also buried there but when his brother John died, his body was taken up and the two buried together in the Mt. Etna Cemetery. A private family burial ground was made by Lewis Homan, in which he buried three children, David, Nettie, and a baby not named. It was located In his field near where Max Ramsey now lives. The graves were not marked and the land is now being farmed.

HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF BRETHREN

The starting of the Church of the Brethren in Mt. Etna dates back to 1885. In this year John Morton and Jacob Harader moved here from Jefferson County. In 1856 Brother Christian Harader, a minister, arrived from Preston County, West Virginia. Other members moved in, so that in that year they held their first love feast. This was held in Brother John Mor ton's new barn, north of the old mill.

In 1857 they organized into a working body with the record of 30 members. About 1835 an election was held for ministers and deacons. As a result Daniel and Ammi Harader were installed as ministers and J. M. Mansfield and A. D. Thomas as deacons. 

Up to this time the regular services had been held in schoolhouses. A house of worship was built in 1888. It was 32x40 feet, and was built of native lumber. The shingles were hauled about eighty or one hundred miles on wagons. In 1871 Brother Christian Harader moved to Missouri, leaving the church in charge of Brother Ammi Harader. When Brother Christian Harader left several members went with him, which caused a lull in the work, as they were without a resident elder. The families who held the church together during this time were Isaah and Jacob Fees and Brother Davis.

In 1879 Brother David Sink was ordained as minister and the church prospered under his care, In 1893 Brother John P. Bailey took charge of the work. Had it not been for two deacons, D. F. Kingery and Mr. Peterson, who were pillars in the church, the church would have disappeared from the neighborhood. During this time: (1885-1906) the following ministers had charge of the work. In 1878 Brother J. M. Mansfield was selected and preached much during his life. In 1879 Brother D. G. Couser accepted the call. In 1885 J. M. Follis was installed, In 1893 an election was held which resulted in three brethren being set apart for the work- D. F. Sink, grandson of above mentioned David Sink, J. M. Bailey, and A. P. Simpson. J. M. Bailey was soon afterwards killed by lightning.

Th 1906 Brother J. D. Brower took up the work and acted for two years. As the old church was quite dilapidated, the members concluded to erect a new one which was done in 1907 and dedicated at the time of the District Meeting in the fall of the same year, (This is the south division of the present church).

When Brother Brower left them they were again without any resident elder or minister for several years. During this time the membership dwindled down to 6. A request was then sent to the District Meeting to have a pastor located among them. The District Meeting put it into the hands of the missionary and ministerial board to do as they would see best. The result was a series of meetings held by Brother J. F. Swallow, after which Brother S. L. Cover was sent to carry on the work. During this period Brother Harry Rogers was called to the ministry. Through the efforts of Mr. Cover the membership was increased from 7 to 22.

In 1918 Brother Walker was called to take up the work. When Brother Walker left in 1920 there was a membership of 33.

Brother Harry Rogers then took up the work and is serving at the present time. In 1925 The Progressive Church of Mt. Etna united with the Brethren Church, increasing the membership to 60. Brother Jacob Thomas was called to work in 1927 and served faithfully throughout his life. At the present time the membership is 150.

HISTORY OF THE M. E. CHURCH AT MT. ETNA

The first record we find of the Carl charge dates back to the year 1876 with Reverend J. R. Gibson as pastor. He says no record had been kept previous to his coming to the charge. He found on his arrival 282 names on the church records. The appointments were Carl, Mt. Etna, Carbon, Quincy, Mt. Pleasant, and Prescott. Brother Gibson says that in the year 1877, after a hard struggle the church at Mt. Etna was completed at the cost of $1,800. The subscription to the church was commenced by Reverend William Stump in 1873. The foundation and part of the frame was put up under Reverend J. W. Prince in 1874. Nothing more was done until the spring of 1877, when, under very discouraging circumstances, the work was resumed. The M. E. Church at Mt. Etna was dedicated July 13, 1877 by Reverend P. F. Presse. 

In 1887, the charge consisted of Carl, Mt. Etna, Carbon, Quiney, Salem, and Mt. Pleasant.

In 1892 it consisted of Carl, Mt. Etna, Carbon and Quincy.

In 1893, the charge was composed of Churches at Carl, Mt. Etna, and Mt. Pleasant. That is the way it is held at the present time. 

Reverend A. R. Weed is the present minister in 1937.

HISTORY OF THE EVANGELICAL CHURCH

In an old circuit book, Reverend A. Y. Cupp wrote that the Corning circult of the Des Moines Conference of the Evangelical Association was located by the annual conference April the first, 1879.

In 1878, Rev. A. Y. Cupp, who lived near Carbon, was the local pastor of Mt. Etna, and Rev. E. F. Mell was the Presiding Elder. During the winter four protracted meetings were held during which time there were thirty- four conversions and eighty-seven ac-cessions to the church.

In 1888 Rev. J. McCauley was the pastor and left a record of taking one hundred three into the church fellowship. 

In 1890 the church was built. Before that time they had held services on alternate Sundays in the Methodist Church.

In 1891 there were three appointments; Mt. Zion, Mt. Etna, and Avondale.

At the conference in 1892 the name of the circuit was changed from Corning to Prescott.

In 1898 to 1899 when Rev. I. N. Millsap was pastor of the Evangelical church, he opened a new appointment west of Mt. Etna. He held a tabernacle meeting, in the grove south of William Deer. Rev. Butman assisted him in the meeting. The next year meetings were held in the school house called Mt. Pisgah.

In 1914 the church building at Mt. Etna was sold to the Adventists. 

The Eureka Church was organized January 12, 1890. The members at that time are the ones on this list: 

On December 26, 1914 the first meeting was held at the Mt. Etna church. On that day it was voted and carried to change the name from Eureka to Mt. Etna church.

HISTORY OF THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH IN ADAMS COUNTY

When Mr. and Mrs. Wesley Homan came here from Indiana to make their home, they were not church members themselves, but they soon saw the need of Christian education and a house of worship. They wrote to Mr. Homan's brother, Lewis Homan father of Joe and John Homan, in Jones County, urging him and his family to come to Iowa and help with the Christian work so badly needed. Lewis Homan felt that this was a call from God, and in November, 1856 he arrived with his family in Adams County and the work started in the little log school house, known as Washington School, which was southwest of where the church now stands. A Sunday School was organized, and Reverend D. B. Clarey, a Methodist minister, was the first Suptre, with Lewis Homan, the assistant. Soon Mr. Clarey was called to other fields, and Mr. Homan filled the office for a great many years. 

At one time Lewis Homan and wife drove forty miles to visit a protracted meeting in a Baptist community near the present site of Macksburg.

As a result a Reverend Barker came to Adams County and held services in the little log school house. During this revival, Mr. and Mrs. Wesley Homan accepted Christ and were the first people to whom the rites of baptism were administered in Adams County. This was in 1858.

September 26, 1858 seven Baptists who wished for a church home met together and organized the first Baptist church in Adams County. 

These charter members were: 

Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Homan. 

Mr and Mrs. Wesley Homan 

Mr. and Mrs. Jephtha Jones 

Mrs. Ann Sprague

They were assisted in the organization by Reverend J. M. Smith of Bedford and Reverend I. M. Seay at that time pastor of the Bethesda Church. In a very short time five other members were added to the church:

William and Mary Morton 

Albert Boswell

Martha Bristow

Mary Amanda Lawrence

In June 1868, P. G. Schooling gave to the church two acres of land and that same year the church building was erected on the present site. Much of the material used was native lumber and was sawed nearby. The finishing lumber was hauled by teams from Des Moines.

In 1882 an additional five acres was bought by the church from P. G. Schooling.

In 1899 the church building was remodeled and put in the present form, much of the original lumber being utilized in the rebuilding.

CIVIL WAR 1861-1865

The great conflict between the North and the South grew in intensity and a call was made for volunteers. The 4th Infantry of Company H was formed. Following are the volunteers whose names are on the memorial monument in the Baptist Cemetery: 

Most of these paid the supreme sacrifice, and their bodies were left in the South. Wes Prather and his father returned home.

The fight grew more fierce and another call was issued by Abraham Lincoln. This time many more joined. There was much feeling and excitement and many mass meetings. One of the songs with which they responded was; "We are coming, Father Abraham, we are coming sixty thousand strong."

Those who went in the 29th Inf. Co. D and did not return to their home were:

Those who gave their service but not their lives were: 

DR. HOMER LePRELATE SWEET 

Dr. Homer LePrelate Sweet, M. D. was born in Claremont, New Hampshire. He spent much of his early life in the East working in Boston and New York. He knew all the great historical places and was familiar with the places sightseers are anxious to visit.

He came to Chicago for his medical education and was graduated from Rush Medical College. Later he took post-graduate work there. He came to Iowa after his graduation in 1869 where he began his practice in Mt. Etna. He continued his general practice never performing operations but often giving the anesthetic for Dr. Coakley.

No night was too stormy, no blizzard too terrific for him to fail to answer a call to the suffering. He was loved by all with whom he came in contact and they remembered the personal interest he took in his cases, not only in their physical but their spiritual welfare also. He served as spiritual advisor to many, easing them in more ways than one. He served God seven days in the week.

Dr. Sweet was a great lover of nature, history, poetry, music, and art. He often spoke of the beauties of nature which he observed on his trips with horse and buggy while visiting his patients.

The winter of 1920 and 1921 he went to California 

He passed away in Los Angeles on March 25, 1921, and was laid to rest there.

DR. J. W. COAKLEY

Dr. J W. Coakley was born in St. John, New Brunswick in 1855. He came to Iowa when he was a boy. He studied medicine with his brother-in-law, Dr. Wilson, at Carl and Mt. Etna. He attended Bennett Medical College In Chicago and Barnes Medical College in St. Louis. He began to practice medicine in Mt. Etna in 1880, travelIng many miles with his horse and buggy. Dr. Coakley liked surgical work and performed many very unusual and successful operations.

His first operation for rupture was performed on Oakley Boswell when a small boy. The operation was performed at the Boswell home on the kitchen table.

The first appendicitis operation was performed on Clarence Johnston. Among the unusual operations was the Caesarian section to save the life of Mrs. Pattee and her child. Before performing this operation, Dr. Coakley went to a great hospital where he for three months made a special study preparing himself for the great emergency that was to confront him.

Coming home at the appointed time he arranged for the operation. Out there on the brush farm in a two room house, he prepared one of the rooms as an emergency hospital, and with Mrs. Will Powell as first assistant and his wife as anaethetizer, and in the presence of some twenty doctors invited to witness it, he performed the first caesarian section ever done in Iowa, and the first successfully done In the United States. The mother and also the infant lived. Twice after that he performed the same operation on Mrs. Pattee with success.

He moved with his family to Creston in 1906 and established a hospital. He was joined in this enterprise by his sons, Dr. Orio and Dr. Cleve Coakley, who like their father were natural born surgeons. In eleven years they performed 2,605 major operations with death loss of but fourteen. This was a loss of one-half of one per cent. 

He died in Creston July 16, 1926.

NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS

The following clippings were copied from the newspaper, Adams County Gazette, dated May 14, 1881, found by Dallas Abbey in the walls of a house he was wrecking

R. H. Schooling was born in Indiana in 1813. He emigrated to Edgar County, Illinois, and thence to Jasper County, Missouri, about 1836 returning to Illinois the following year. He came to Adams County, Iowa, in 1852. There were only Five families in the county when he came here. He now owns five hundred and, twenty acres of land in Washington township, consisting of three farms tilled by George Schooling, James Cunningham, and N. Church. Good stock of all kinds are kept on the place.

Thomas Davis was born in East Tennessee in 1817. He emigrated to Union County, Indiana and then came to Adams County, Iowa, in 1852. He first settled near Eureka. In 1854 he purchased 100 acres of land in section twenty-two, now Elza Boswell's farm. 

Jacob Jees is a Buckeye. In 1861 he enlisted in Company H, Fourth Iowa Infantry and after passing through several of the hardest fought battles for the Union was captured on picket duty at Claysville, Alabama, March 14, 1863, and suffered imprisonment at Andersonville for one year and fourteen days. He came to Adams County in 1853 and entered land in section fifteen. He had an orchard of one hundred and eighty bearing trees, seventy-five grapes, currants, blackberries, strawberries, and other small fruit, three and one-half acres of artificial timber. There is considerable willow and sage fence on the farm.

Edmund Homan was born in Johnston County, Kentucky, in 1827 and emigrated to Putman County, Indiana, He came to Adams County, Iowa, in 1852 and settled one hundred and twenty acres of raw land in section twenty-five. In 1872 he erected a good one and a half story residence twenty-six by twenty-eight and a frame barn twenty feet by thirty-two feet. His orchard contained one hundred and sixty bearing trees, sixteen varieties of grapes, twenty acres of natural growth timber. He kept thirty head of horned cattle, sixty stock hogs, and nine horses. In 1879 Mr. Homan was elected as representative to the legislature.

Samuel Fees was born in Montgomery County, Ohio, in 1818. He came to Adams County, Iowa, in 1864 and settled on section twenty-two, now the J. A. Boswell farm. His farm contains five acres of orchard, forty bearing grapes, and an abundance of small fruit. He also had twenty-five acres of handsome timber and twenty-four acers of timothy meadow. The place is well watered Mr. Fees, keeps ten horned cattle, three horses, and forty head of hogs.

William Stover was born in Hawkin County, Ohio, in 1828 and emigrated to Henry County, Illinois, in 1849. He came on to Adams County and settled on section twenty-two In 1865. The place is now known as A. C. Peterson farm. He had a good comfortable house, orchard of several bearing trees and considerable forest. Mr. Stover raised three thousand five hundred bushel of corn, seven hundred bushel of wheat, and four hundred bushel of oats this year. He kept nineteen horned cattle and several hogs.

J. C. Gossard was born in Ross County, Ohio, in 1840 and emigrated to Story County, Iowa, in 1858. In 1860 he enlisted in Company D. 10th Iowa Infantry and served four years. He participated in battles at Corinth, Pittsburg Landing, Iuka, and in all fifteen general engagements. In 1868 he came to Adams County and settled on eighty acres of raw prairie on section thirty-six. His farm now contains one hundred and sixty acres of beautiful land, one hundred and forty acres of which is under the plow. He has an orchard of one hundred bearing trees and quite a grove of artifcial timber. Mr. Gossard keeps fifty horned cattle, seventy-five head of stock and fat hogs, and two teams.

A DESCRIPTION OF MT. ETNA IN 1881

Mt. Etna is one of the loveliest villages of the plain. It is located in the northeastern part of Washington township. Its educational facilities are excellent, and there are several religious and secret societies in the place. The following is a list of its business men:

Jacob Fees – Postmaster

Ami Harader – General Merchandise 

Schooling and Schooling – General Merchandise 

J. N. Deere – General Merchandise

Northgraves and Leach – Hardware and Implements

H. F Dale – Attorney at Law 

H. L. Sweet – Druggist and Physician 

Andy Leap – Furniture and Undertaking

E. N. Wilson – Physician

I.N. Reynolds – Wagonmaker 

Thomas and Cavanaugh – North Star Mills

Knapp and Ferrier – Blacksmiths 

William Griffith – Meat Market

Tuttle and Co. – Blacksmiths 

R. Ellis – Mail Carrier

A. F. Thomas – Hotel 

J. L. Leach – Hotel

ADVERTISEMENTS 1881

"Office of the Eureka Flouring Mills, Thomas and Harader, proprietors. Merchant and custom work done. Flour, feed, and meal on hand, Cash paid for grain."

Eureka, Iowa May 14, 1881 

"We announce to all our patrons that are desirous of coming to mill from the north side of the river, that we will take their grists across the river and return the same to them by skiff in order that they need not cross their teams. The river shall be no hindrance to them. We wish everybody to have good flour and good turn out and consequently will convey them across to the mill where they can be satisfied and likewise to the store where they will be fairly dealt with." Thomas and Harader 

J. J. Harlow

Proceedings of Board of Supervisors:

On motion, it was ordered that a survey be made of the road which was asked by petition by Samuel Fees and William Stover and that the auditor be instructed to plot the same when the field notes are furnished. 

W. H. Gandy –  L. W. Lewis

Mt. Etna continued to grow very rapidly, connected with the outside world only by dirt roads which were often very muddy, requiring many teams to bring the necessities of life to town and taking away the flour and grist from the mill. 

The first creamery was organized in 1881 in a building south of the present site of the Advent Church. This was run by Bill Roberts but soon burned. Later a cooperative creamery owned by the farmers was built in 1898 west of Andy Allison's house. It ran for several years, but cream stations began taking the profit so it was stopped. In 1918 Frank Farris purchased the building and moved it to its present site. The large building was the creamery. The smaller building was the engine house. The roof of the larger building was raised and more room made. It is now known as Hickman Hall.

About 1880 reports were spread about the country that a railroad was going to be put through the town. People began to wonder if their stock would be frightened from the pastures, if it would be safe to drive a team near the tracks, and so on. Many people had never seen a train. A few stakes were driven, but it was not certain if by the railroad company or not. The fact that the train would soon be there seemed so true that many youngsters sitting on the fence after dark, imagined they could hear the whistle in the distance, But nothing ever came of all this talk.

Although not directly connected with the outside world, the young people had their fun going to singing school every week and to spelling matches and many other regular good times.

In 1883 the river reached the highest point ever recorded. That was when Morgan Warren was drowned. 

In 1838 Joseph Eno, Delno Deere, and others went across the water to fight in the Philippine War. Joseph Eno did not return.

During the spring of 1900 the urge to go west and seek a new country became so urgent in the hearts of some of the young people that twenty-eight of them left on the train going to Montana.

For a long time the Nodaway River was forded west of the mill. Then a bridge was built in that place. In 1901 the new bridge was built east of the mill.

In July 1903 occurred one of the worst hail storms ever known in this region. This was in two strips, one from Mt. Etna to about three miles east. There was a strip about a mile wide from Mt. Etna west which raised some corn but the hail cleaned everything from there on west.

A few minor fires occurred in Mt. Etna but things continued to go on much the same until the big fire of September 21, 1910, when almost the entire west side of main street burned. This seemed to be the beginning of the down fall, because although people rebuilt, it would soon be destroyed again. Bert Simpson's store burned in this fire. On March 16, 1915, Tom Nicolls store at the upper part of main street burned. This was never rebuilt. In 1917 the blacksmith shop north of Holste's store burned. The store owned by Max Kneiding and located at the north end of Main Street on the west side burned in January, 1919. February 27, 1927, the post office and store owned by Clem Bakerink burned to the ground.

Dr. Coakley had the first telephone in Mt. Etna connected with Corning. In 1897 this was a curiosity to the people of the neighborhood and many came to see it. Later the Mt. Etna switch was bought and the telephone company organized in 1907. The switch has been housed in many places, usually the home of the operator until at last the company thought it best to place it permanently so purchased a house on the east side of the first street west of main street. Mrs. Angus is the present operator..

THE WORLD WAR, 1917 TO 1918 

Dread and fear were again in the hearts of the people when the great call went ringing over the country for more men to go across the water to help fight. Some of them went over seas while others only reached the training camps of this country.

In 1917-1918 the following left Washington township: 

The Nodaway River bounding Mt. Etna on the east and south was dredged and straightened where necessary in 1926.

A natural gas pipe line was laid across the northern part of Washington township in the fall of ‘30 and the spring of ‘31. This lowered the tax rate of Washington township somewhat.

The Riverside Garden Club of Mt. Etna was organized February 22, 1932, with twenty-three members. Mrs. Bruce Gossard was elected president and Mrs. Ed Reichardt secretary and treasurer,

In 1933 the state graveled Highway No. 148 and during the fall and winter of 1934 the road from No. 148 east to Mt. Etna was graveled by the men on the CWA. They graveled only to the north end of Main Street so the business people of Mt. Etna furnished the gravel and did the work of finishing the road to each church and all the way through the town. This was a great help, and the town had a permanent connection with the rest of the country.

Slight drought had been known in this country but in 1934 there was a complete drought. Nothing was raised. Usually they had hay or corn or oats, but in 1934 not even garden stuff was produced.

In 1935, the crops were poor and the next year there was again, a partial drought. The dry years were known as "Depression" years, and many people had to ask for county relief funds.

But the spring of 1937 brought abundant rains, and the depression is considered over.

In 1936 the REA was established and this meant electricity was available to farmers and towns alike. During the winter of 1936 and 1937 the surveying was done, brush was cut, poles set, wires strung, houses wired, and in the year of 1937 Mt, Etna became a modern city with graveled streets and electric lights.

MT. ETNA BUSINESS MEN-1937

Postmaster – Leslie Helvie

Telephone Operator – Mrs. Lizzie Angus

Produce Station – Kenneth Ellenwood.

Garage – Emmett Townsley

Blacksmith – Ed Reichardt

Grocery and Dry Goods – Herbert Holste

Oil Statio – Lon Yazel

Oll Station – William Schooling

Source: https://archive.org/details/historyofwashing00unse_2/page/n23/mode/2up

History of Washington Township, Adams County, Iowa

Publication date: 1937

Publisher: [Mt. Etna, Iowa] : [Riverside Garden Club] : [Free Press Print, Corning, Iowa}

No copyright.

Transcribed by Jake Tornholm