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Atlantic is a city possessing many of the advantages of a much larger place and few of the disadvantages of such a place. Its population is comprized of moral and intellectual people, gathered from nearly all points of the United States, and from other lands, people whose thrift and enterprize have given Atlantic a more than state wide reputation. Its geographical location as well as its railroad facilities make it an important commercial center.

The main line of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Rail Road gives the city connection with the outside world east and west; the Atlantic and Audubon Rail Road has its terminus here and runs northward about 25 miles to the thriving town of Audubon; the Atlantic Southern runs southward to Griswold at which point it connects with the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Rail Road, for Red Oak and all points east on that line. Thus it will be seen that Atlantic enjoys first class railroad facilities, which enables the city to do a large jobbing trade.

W. H. Applegate & Co's pork packing house employs about eighty men all the year round, and slaughters from 500 to 1000 hogs per day. The Atlantic flouring mill with four set of burs run night and day. Several other mill sare near the city. J. H. Needles manufactures wagons and buggies on a large scale, and is soon to increase his facilities; Snouffer & Wills, also manufacture wagons and buggies. Other enterprises of special importance carried on in Atlantic are enumberated below: The Atlantic Iron works; the Atlantic brewery; Sharp's hame pad factory; Moelle's candy factory; a large barrel manufactory; planing mill, &c., besides these, there are companies now forming to build alcohol and linseed oil works. The city's progress the past year has been greater than in any one year before. It is well supplied with banks, hotels, newspapers, merchants, professional men, and in fact men in all the pursuits usually found in a live western town of five thousand inhabitants. In the year 1880, Bacon's grand opera house, with a seating capacity of 700, was built at a cost of about $18,000; the hotels were all enlarged, several fine brick business houses were built, and residence's almost without number. During the year 1881, the prospects are still brighter. Cass county, on December 21st 1880, voted by a large majority to build a court house in Atlantic to cost fifty thousand dollars, and the house will be built during the year 1881. Many other substantial improvements are also sure to be made, some of them being already under contract.

For a full statement of all the industries and enterprizes carried on in the city, see business directory, given on other pages of this work.

The name of the town was suggested by E. H. Johnson, chief engineer of the C. R. I. & P. R. R. and was adopted by the railroad and town companies, for the reason that there was thought to be no other town in the country bearing that name.

Atlantic was surveyed and laid out in October, 1868. The town site was owned by B. F. Allen, F. H. Whitney, John P. Cook and others. Mr. Whitney did the surveying we believe and has acted as the agent and manager for his partners comprising with himself the town company, from the beginning of the building of the town.

The first house was built on October, 1868, on the southeast corner of Chestnut and Sixth streets, where the building used for a court house now stands by, by Henry Miller. The house was one story and a half in hight, [sic] and contained four rooms. It now stands on Seventh street and is a part of the residence of Romeo Lawrence. Other buildings were put up in 1868 as follows: S. T. McFadden's drug store, where Geo. Conrad's brick building now is; Montgomery & Wynkoop's drug store, northeast corner of 5th and Chestnut streets; W. W. Parker built the house now occupied by S. N. Havens; Southwick built the building now owned and occupied by T. J. Luccock; F. O. Hoyt built a residence on Walnut street, now a part of the Occidental House; E. E. Herbert built a residence; Needles & McWaid opened a blacksmith shop on Walnut street; P. Carney put up a wooden structure on Cushing & Palmer's corner; F. H. Whitney opened an office on the southeast corner of Chestnut and Front streets; work was begun on the Atlantic (now Reynolds) House by John Bennett & Son; Getchel & Tichenor started a lumber yard on the lots now Occupied by Gilman's elevator.

The C. R. I. & P. R. R. delivered no freight of any kind for the public until January 1869, consequently the first buildings were either built of native lumber or of pine lumber hauled from Casey. The railroad station was not opened for business until February 1, 1869. Wm. Reynolds, Jr., was the first agent, being succeeded by W. H. Parker in 1871.

The year 1869 was a prosperous and progressive year for the embryo city. During that year the place had a wonderful growth. Very many of the most successful business men located in the town that year, some of them coming from Lewis and Grove City, and a large number from other parts of the State and from other States.

Among the earliest business men might be named Stafford & Hawks, Winslow & Parker, Geo. Conrad, J. C. Yetzer, Childs & Reinig, J. R. Reynolds, Jas. Tumbleson, W. K. Straight, S. T. McFadden, Richards & Montgomery, Isaac Dickerson, Wm. Waddell, E. O. Hoyt, V. O'Bryan, H. C. Johnson, Dr. J. H. Barnwell, T. J. Luccock, Theo. Cusing, C. H. Osborne, C. Thurman, John Yager, S. F. Martin, J. H. Needles, J. A. McWaid. These business men all pitched their business tents in the place at 1869, excepting a few of the number who came in the winter of 1868.

The first postmaster was S. T. McFadden, who was succeeded in 1870 by V. O'Bryan, who was succeeded by the present incumbent H. A. Disbrow.

The pioneer attorney of the place was H. T. Sharp, who arrived in December, 1868. J. T. Hanna came soon in 1869, and he and Mr. Sharp formed a co-partnership. Early in 1869 H. Temple and Julian Phelps, then of Lewis, opened a branch law office here, and soon made this their principal office. J. W. Brown and H. E. Griswold, also of Lewis, did the same at about the same time. C. F. Loofbourow, who had opened a law office in Grove City, came to Atlantic early in 1869. R. G. Phelps and L. L. DeLano were the last attorneys to desert Lewis, which they did later in the year 1869. A. S. Churchill came in 1869. The other members of the Atlantic bar, whose names appear in the business directory have located here in years subsequent to 1869.

The first physician was Dr. Sanders, who died several years ago. The next were Dr. J. H. Barnwell and Dr. G. S. Montgomery who removed from Grove City in 1869. Dr. Richards also came in that year. The other physicians have come in later years.

The first banking house was opened by Loring & Bennett in 1869. They built up a large business, and were for a time influential men. In December, 1870, they "jumped the town" leaving depositors to mourn over much missing money. It is presumed they are in South America. In 1870 the Cass County Bank was founded by Isaac Dickerson, John Keyes and J. C. Yetzer, with Wm. Waddell as cashier. In 1871 F. H. Whitney opened a private bank, which he soon changed to a National Bank. In 1876 he relinquished his charter and changed again to private banking. In 1874 Smith & White built a banking house and opened a private bank. Mr. Smith withdrew and his partner, H. F. White continued the business until the summer of 1875, when he failed, causing some losses to depositors. John McDaniels opened a private bank in 1876 with Clinton McDaniels as cashier.

The first newspaper printed in Atlantic was the Cass County Messenger, by H. C. Johnson, who removed his office from Lewis in the spring of 1869. The paper is now called the Atlantic Mesenger the publisher being J. H. Willey. The second paper was called the Daily Free Press and was established in the summer of 1869 by Upham & Sibley, E. O. Upham being the editor. In July or August, 1870, the paper suspended. In February 1871, Lafayette Young established the Atlantic Telegraph, which he continues to publish. December 8th, 1879, Mr. Young started the Daily Telegraph, which is now in its second year of healthy existence.

In May, 1874, D. M. Harris established a Democratic paper called the Cap Sheaf, which he conducted until the fall of 1875, when he sold the office to James Pugh, who started a temperance paper called the Northwestern Journal. The Journal lived until the spring of 1876, when it was suspended. Shortly, after the suspension of the Journal, the material was used in reviving the Cap Sheaf, by J. A. Crawford and others. The revived paper lasted but a few weeks. December 1st, 1876, Goldie Bros. & Collins took possession of the office and started the Atlantic Democrat, with Chas. Collins as edior, which lived just three months. In the summer of 1880, Mr. C. F. Chase removed from Anita to Atlantic and established the cass County Democrat, which he continues to publish.

At the general election in October, 1869, Atlantic won the county-seat from Lewis. The vote stood: for Atlantic, 618; for Lewis, 275; majority in favor of Atlantic, 343. The county offices were moved from Lewis to Atlantic in December, 1869. The main contest over the county-seat matter, and the main excitement, was at and previous to the June meeting of the Board of Supervisors, when that body was asked to order a vote on the question of removal.

It is interesting to note the increase of votes in the county from that time until the year 1880, when there were 3731 votes polled in the county.

February 8, 1871, Atlantic suffered her first serious loss by fire. On that night several buildings located where the Conrad and Huse brick buildings now are were destroyed, as follows:

S. T. McFadden, druggist, building $2,000, stock $5,000 stock mostly saved. P. Kirby, boot and shoe dealer; building $900, stock $3,500. Geo. W. Barber, jeweler, lost a building, stock mostly saved. Stafford & Hawks, dry goods dealers, lost very largely of their stock. McGrew & Loofbourow, lost a building worth $1,500. J. B. McGrew, lost in grocery stock $500. Buildings belonging to King Bros. and Mr. Green were also destroyed, that belonging to the first named parties being the house occupied by Stafford & Hawks. J. H. Barnwell, M. D., and C. F. Loofbourow, attorney, lost books and papers of considerable value. Miss Lucy Allman, photographer, lost goods pertaining to the photographic art, to the amount of $150 probably.

The first school house was built in Atlantic in 1870 at a cost of $11,000. It is a large brick structure. The second house was built in 1875 at a cost of about $7,000, and is equal to the first one although costing less. The schools of the city have been well conducted in the past, and have fitted many of the rising generation for future usefulness. There are in the city about 1400 children of the school-going age. A very large corps of teachers is employed and good wages are paid.

Transcribed from "General Directory of the City of Atlantic 1880-1881. Giving a Complete List of the Inhabitants, Business Firms, Educational, Social, and Religious Institutions", compiled by Glenn & Co., Atlantic, Iowa, Telegraph Steam Printing Press, 1880, pp. 7-12 by Cheryl Siebrass. September, 2014.