Old Browns 

Browns, Sugar Creek and Riggs, Waterford Township, Clinton County, Iowa

Compiled by Lorraine Houghton and Marilu Thurman, updated August 2006.
Thank you so much to Lorraine and Marilu for sending this information to us. 

Old Browns

Old Browns, located in section 4 of Waterford Township, had a post office from February 12, 1872 until June 18, 1883. According to the Charlotte Record of May 14, 1908, Browns was named after Bernard Brown, Sr. born approximately 1822, a native of Germany, who arrived here about 1848. There were about 10 families living in Old Browns. Elmer Knock, Percy Perminter and Frank Zeiser were depot agents at various times. If you are driving south, on 337th Ave, Old Browns starts at about address # 1015. Browns had a store, post office, saloon, hotel, creamery, carpenter shop, blacksmith shop, and stockyard, as well as a train depot. Frank Zeiser ran the hotel. Joe Sterk owned the carpenter shop. Mathias Banowetz ran a blacksmith shop on his farm and invented the first stalk cutter and an adjustable bearing holder.

In the 1896 Clinton County Directory, Mathias Banowetz is shown as having a business of Pump Repairing, and also was shown as a Notary Public. John Zeiser, Brown and Fitzpatrick were former merchants here. At one time, Neil ran the brewery here. Andrew Peschel, Jr. was the postmaster and kept a general store and ran a hotel. Andrew Peschel’s store and the neighboring saloon were destroyed by fire in 1910 when flames from the steam engine flew out. These were later rebuilt.