LAMONI IN 1894
 
Introductory.

The object of the following article is to convey to the reader the facts with reference to the growth of Lamoni in the year just closed, its present condition, and a few of the things confidently expected to take place in the future touching its material welfare.

Location.

Lamoni is located in Decatur County, Iowa, on a branch of the C. B. & Q. railroad about two miles from Bethany Junction, sixteen miles from Leon, the County Seat, and fifty miles from Chariton. It is in the southwestern part of the county, and the land immediately surrounding it is among the best in the county, though each and north a short distance the country is very rough.

Settlement and Population.

Lamoni was started in 1880; and now contains a population in the corporate limits and additions of about 1250, which has been growing by the addition of one or more families every fortnight for sometime past.

Business.

Lamoni contains at present the following business houses, which we name so far as we are able in the order of their establishment.

Four general merchandise houses: T. TEAL & Son; W. HUDSON & Co.; BLAIR Mercantile Co.; B. D. FLEET. Two hotels, MCKIM House, and Hotel BARR; Boarding houses, Mrs. I. N. ROBERTS, Mrs. Minnie WICKES, Mrs. Frankie BRAND, Mrs. HOBSON, D. A. SMITH and F. L. THOMPSON. Two harness shops, G. H. DERRY, E. B. TEALE & Son. One bakery Vienna Home Baker, R. L. MASON; Four restaurants, Mrs. B. COOK; W. H. GARRISON; Home Bakery, Mrs. HIGGINS; English Kitchen, Mrs. CROUCH. Three doctors, J. H. HANSEN, A. W. SHERMAN, B. R. MCALLASTER. Two Drugstores, MYERS & BARROWS, Dr. J. H. HANSEN. Two banks, Lamoni State Bank; Commercial Bank. One racket and hardware store, BROLLIAR, BRADLEY & Co. One notion store C. W. BEED. Two tin and stove shops, CLUM bro's & Co.; FOWLER & BRADLEY. One agricultural implement and coal dealer, STAFFORD & WALKER. One coal dealer, COCHRAN & BROLLLIAR. Two Lumber dealers, Burlington Lumber Co., I. W. ALLENDER. Two grain buyers, J. R. SMITH & Son; A. M. NEWBERRY. One stock buyer, C. F. SMITH. Six real estate and insurance dealers, D. F. NICHOLSON, SCOTT & BRIGGS, O. L. FERGUSON, A. ACKERLY, Z. H. GURLEY, C. W. HAMMER. A. S. COCHRAN insurance, A. H. GURLEY Life Insurance. One dentist, J. W. MATHER. One furniture store, W. A. HOPKINS. One furniture and music store, OLSEN Bros. One fruit, candy and notion stand, G. E. REYNER. One dealer in mineral water, L. P. KRUCKER, represented by G. E. REYNER. One photograph gallery, E. GILLETT. One weather strip inventor, manufacturer and dealer, N. N. HAZELTON. Two meat markets, GAYLORD & SHAKESPEARE, J. J. RABIDOU. Two blacksmith and wagon shops, J. J. RABIDOU, P. O. LUCAS. One blacksmith shop, C. BRADFIELD. One machine shop and pump manufactory, J. B. RODGER. One patent roller process flouring mill, Jas. ALLEN & Son. Three printing offices, Herald Office which combines printing, stereotyping and book binding; Patriot Office, LAMBERT Bros; Chronicle Office, W. H. DEAM. The Lamoni Gold Cure Institute. One merchant tailor, Joseph MATHER. One patent chicken coop manufactory and turning shop, FERGUSON & HAMMER. Two millinery shops. Miss C. A. SEELY, Mrs. Mary EVANS BLACK. One clothing and boot and shoe store, W. A. WILLIAMS. One Jewelry store G. W. JOHNSON. One clock repairer and notion dealer, A. C. GEER. Two livery barns, H. H. WHITE; Mr. EIKER; One general repairing establishment E. C. MAYHEW. There are, so far as we know, four carpenter shops, L. A. FOWLER; FRINK & GOOLD; Joseph LAFRAUNCE; HARRINGTON & ELLIOTT. We are not informed as to which of these were in the field first, hence name them as they occur to us. There is a host of other carpenters: V. WHITE, T. JACOBS, A. SHUMWAY, Riley DILLON, John MASON, Samuel LASLEY, Geo. FALES, Wm. WATERMAN, Osman MADISON, D. A. SMITH, W. I. MURRAY, R. D. BURNETT, J. W. DAVIS, D. BOWEN, J. T. DIXON, Geo. COOK. Plasterers: J. B. RANDALL, Charles BUTLER, M. SHAW, J. R. KEOWN, M. B. EWING; Stone Masons: Charles BUTLER, L. MITCHELL, Geo. FOWLER, J. R. KEOWN, M. B. EWING. One paint shop, CARR & HOWARD, other painters; POST & MARKS, George ALLEN, John BOYLE, William GAULTER, John OLSEN, W. C. LANYON. Two barber shops, BLACK & BRUNS, J. W. MANLEY. Two Dray Lines: W. H. BROLLIAR, Charles HOROUNG. One house mover, Charles BUTLER. Dressmakers: Mrs. Geo. TRUEMAN, Mrs. V. WHITE, Mrs. Geo. THOMAS, Mrs. S. K. SORRENSON, Miss Clara BAILEY, Mrs. HOGUE, Mabel ANTHONY.

Lamoni also has one steam prospecting drill owned and operated by RANDALL Bros.

One ice dealer, FOREMAN & Son, one pony express, Thomas SALISBURY.

Churches.

There are but two Christian bodies represented in Lamoni by organizations and places of worship, The Methodist Episcopal Church and The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The former owns a one story frame church building capable of seating between two and three hundred people. Rev. MITCHELL, of Davis City is the pastor.

The latter have a two story brick veneered building, the upper story of which will seat a thousand people, the lower five hundred. Elder Asa S. COCHRAN is the presiding Elder.

Public Schools.

To accommodate the public schools of our town, two buildings have been erected, one in the eastern and the other in the western part of the city. The east side building is wood and contains five school rooms and a recitation room. The west side structure is brick veneered, contains four very fine rooms, and is a source of pride to the school patrons of our city.

The graded course of study in these schools, consists of twelve years work. The course prescribed for the last four years, or the High School course, is as follows:

FIRST YEAR.

Reading - Fifth Reader finished, Principles of Elocution.
Spelling - Same as previous grade.
Miscellaneous
Writing - Spencerian Copy book No. 6, Review of analysis of letter.
Arithmetic - "Number Applied.", Metric System, Practical measurements and Percentage to Proportion.
Physiology
Grammar - Harvey's English Grammar, Syntax.
History - Barnes' Brief History of U. S. completed.

SECOND YEAR

Arithmetic - Proportion and Measuration.
Physiology - Finished.
Civil Government - Finished.
Literature - Biography and Study Rhetoric and Composition.
Algebra - to Equations.

THIRD YEAR.

Algebra - Elementary finished.
Arithmetic - Higher.
Orthography - Finished.
Physical Geography - Finished.
Biography - One Term (Fall)
Book-Keeping - Winter Term
Business Forms - Spring Term
Latin - Grammar and Reader.

FOURTH YEAR.

Geometry - Plane.
Physics - Finished.
Botany - Finished.
General History - Finished.
Latin - Caesar and Virgil.
Algebra - Review.

Nearly 350 pupils are now enrolled in the eight rooms, which are in charge of the following teachers: High School Room, Miss Mamie ALLEN;, assisted by Miss Inez TURNER; Grammar room, Mr. David ANDERSON. East Side Intermediate, Miss Ruby STEDMAN; West Side Intermediate, Miss Roxana GAYLORD; East Side Second Primary, Miss Belle RANDALL, West Side Second Primary, Miss Susy MADER; East Side First Primary, Mrs. May MATHER; West Side First Primary, Mrs. Eula BLAKE.

Societies.

Lamoni has a G. A. R. Post; an I. O. O. F. Lodge; A Students' Society; Religio Literary Society; Chautauqua Circle; L. O. F. Society.

Though Lamoni contains no dwellings that would be considered elegant or costly in a large city, yet for a town of its age and size, the number of commodious and comfortable dwellings which it contains is something remarkable.

The Independent Patriot, Lamoni, Decatur County, Iowa, January 3, 1895
Copied by Stacey McDowell Dietiker, August 11, 2003
 
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