HISTORY: Towns of Jefferson Co., IA This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Annette Lucas ClintonRoots@aol.com May 2004 Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ________________________________________________________ NOTE: For more information on Jefferson County, Iowa Please visit the Jefferson County, IAGenWeb page at http://iagenweb.org/jefferson/ ________________________________________________________ The following information is available from the Iowa Genealogical Society, 6000 Douglas, P.O. Box 7735, Des Moines, Iowa 50322 JEFFERSON COUNTY TOWNS OF TODAY AND YESTERYEARS, ABANDONED POST OFFICES AND VANISHED VILLAGES. Sources: "Iowa Postal History," George Wolters, Compiler; Annals of Iowa, Vol. XVII, July 1929-Apr. 1931, "Abandoned Towns, Villages and Post Offices.Žby David C. Mott; Histories and Atlasses of Jefferson County; Fairfield Ledger and Tribune files, etc. Aaronsville. A suburb of Abingdon and joining it on the south. Laid out and platted by Aaron Wright in 1853. Plat: p. 19, 1909 Atlas of Jefferson County. Abingdon. Sec. 32 & 33, Polk Township. Laid out and platted Aug. 30, 1849 by Col. Thos. McCulloch, Evan Fleenor, Marquis D. Lafayette Spurlock and William Spurlock, and named by Col. McCulloch for his old home, Abingdon, Virginia. Plat, p. 19, 1909 Atlas. P. O. established 31 Dec 1850 with Shelton Morris as first postmaster; W. W. Knox and Ben Burris were long time postmasters, and the office was discontinued 31 Dec 1924 during W. C. Campbell's incumbency. Not a vanished village, but it has declined. (" Forty years Agi in Abingdon," Ledger Mar 28-Apr 5, 1933.) See also "Bogus." Absecum. About five miles west of Libertyville, P. O. Est. 7 Mar 1855, Peter Shipler, postmaster; discontinue 7 Oct 1859. It was a regular stop for stage coach line from Keokuk and Fort Madison to Des Moines, The house, or inn, was on the north side of the road, and the large horse barn was across the road south. When the Rock Island RR came, Absecum was replaced by County Line; see below. (Ledger Nov 7, 1957.) Acheson. A station of the C. & S. W. RR about six miles northeast of Fairfield; named for Geo. Acheson of Fairfield. P. O. Est. 13 Dec 1870; Wm. S. P. Pinney, postmaster; discontinue 3 May 1872 when the name was changed to Perlee because of confusion between Atchison, Kansas, and Acheson, Iowa, by the railroad company. Baker P. O. Sec. 23, Black Hawk Township, P. O. Est. 27 Aug 1861, James H. Baker, postmaster; discontinued 29 jun 1901. (Ledger, Oct 17, 1957.) Batavia. Sec. 31,Locust Grove Township. P. O. 222 Aug 1853; Wm. f. Hamerick, first p.m. Plat, p. 22, 1909 Atlas. First named Creeseville; see below. See also Greenland. (Batavia Edition, Fairfield Tribune, Oct. 16, 1889.) 1895 pop., 433. Batavia today is a "live" town. Beckwith. Sec. 25, Buchanan Township. P.O. Est. 22 Nov 1877, Levi Fawcett, first postmaster; discontinued 14 Feb 1901. Plat, p. 19, 1909 Atlas. Named by the C. B. & Q Railway Company for Capt Warren Peckwith of Mt. Pleasant who was one of its' early civil engineers and was for many years roadmaster of this division. Bethesda Methodist Church is nearby. Belleville. Sec. 9, Polk Township. A railroad station on the Burlington narrow guage, about two miles west of Packwood. P.O. Est. 22 Mar 1883 with George McKinnis as postmaster; W. L. Duke appointed p.m. in May 1883; office discontinued 10 Apr. 1896. J. S. Bpwman's store at Belleville burned 4 Mar 1884. Bernhart Station. Secs. 25 & 26, Locust Grove Township. Est. 1899 on the C. B. & Q. RR between Fairfield and Batavia; named for Bernhart Henn, early resident of Fairfield and representative in Congress. P.O. Est. 2 Apr 1901 with John W. Barber first p.m.; office discontinued 15 Oct 1904. Blue Point. A.P.O. near the northwest corner of Black Hawk Township, as appears on maps of 1855, 1856, and 1857. Named for a point of timber that came out into the prairie and coulc be seen for fifteen or twenty miles. "Bogus." A nickname given to Abingdon in early days, and the name is probably used by the people of Abingdon more frequently than the correct name. The name originated as a result of a story about some nefarious business of counterfeiting silver money, by an Abingdonian while he lived in Illinois, before coming to Iowa. Said citizen never "made" any money in Abingdon, and lived an upright life. Bravo. P. O. Est. 11 Apr 1883; Frederick Funston, Postmaster; discontinued 14 Jan 1884. Exact location not known. Brookville. A village in the central part of Sec 11, Locust Grove Township; Tinley M. Brooks, founder. P. O. Est. 31 Dec 1850, Wilkins Warwick, first postmaster; A. L. Littleton was p.m. in 1859; in 1881 A. L. Smith had been postmaster twenty years; p.o. discontinued 15 Dec 1902. Plat, p. 23, 1909 Atlas. At one time the community had two stores, blacksmith shop, saw mill, a tannery, two churches and a number of homes. (Ledger, 5 Dec 1957.) Buena Vista. Laid out in Aug 1851 in Sec. 13 in the present township of Buchanan. It was supplanted in April 1852 by the town of Salina. Coalport. A village in the central part of Sec 34, Lockridge Township, about one mile west of the present town of Lockridge. Plat, p. 19, 1909 Atlas. Coalport thrived and died with the nearby coal mines. It had a church, post office, store, tavern and several houses. Remembered as the home of the "Coalport Home Guards" in the early days of the Civil War. (Ledger, Nov 2, 1957.) Collett. Midway between Libertyville and Birmingham, a station on the "Peavine" railroad from Fort Madison to Batavia, four miles southeast of Libertyville. P.O. Est. 9 Feb 1887; Harvey Thompson, postmaster; discontinued 14 Jun 1890; Re-Est. 20 Apr 1899 with Harvey's son, William E. Thompson, as postmaster; abandoned `15 Jun 1900. Coppock. Located at the corner where Jefferson, Henry and Washington Counties join. The school was in Washington County, the church in Henry county, and the telephone switchboard in Jefferson. Founded by John Coppock who kept the first store there and had a mill on Skunk River. Cotton grove. P.O. Est. 2 Mar 1852, Serene C. Pumphrey, postmaster; discontinued 23 Mar 1855. Formerly in Wapello County. It was probably somewhere in or near Sec. 18, Des Moines Township. County Line replaced Absecum; named for its location, along the Rock Island RR at the west boundary of Jefferson County, six miles west of Libertyville. First P.O. Est. 10 May 1876, called "County Line Station" and David Leppo was postmaster; discontinued 3 May 1883, became "County Line" 3 May 1883, Joseph Sketoe, postmaster; discontinued 15 Mar 1923. The Rock Island RR discontinued its station at County Line in December 1894. The town once included two stores, a church, depot, post office, elevator, railroad side tracks, and several houses. (Ledger, Nov 7, 1957.) Geeseville. Name first given the present town of Batavia. It was platted as Greeseville in 1846 (Plat, p. 22, 1909 Atlas); named for Henry Crees, who died 29 Jul 1847, Aged 65 yrs. P.O. Est. 22 Jul 1851, David Longberry, Postmaster; discontinued 22 Aug 1853, when the name was changed to Botavis; named changed to Batavia 23 May 1873. (See Greenland). Cross Lanes is an old country settlement in Sec. 26, Locust Grove Township. So named because of its natural location. In 1849 the Cumberland Presbyterian church built their house of worship at Cross Lanes, about one mile north and five miles east of Batavia. Deedsville. A mill, post and trading village in Sec. 36, Walnut Township, on the east bank of Skunk River. P.O. Est. 15 Jun 1849; Silas Deeds, owner and founder of the town, was postmaster; discontinued 10 Dec 1853. Later the name was changed to Merrimac, see below. East Lockport. See Lockridge. East Pleasant Plain. Secs. 11 & 12, Penn Township. Plat, p. 18, 1909 Atlas. P.O. Est. 25 Nov 1907, Nellie M. Noe, postmistress. Later Lewis T. Baitinger was p.m. for 20 years. Home of St. Joseph's Catholic Church. Ellmaker. Station on the "Peavine" about midway between Libertyville and Batavia in Des Moines Township. (Ledger, Oct 3, 1957) Fairfield. County seat of Jefferson County; first called Jefferson, which see below. Fairgield P.O. Est. 25 May 1839, William Hueston, first postmaster. Since them many prominent persons have served in that capacity. Old Plat, -. 242, 1875 Atlas of Iowa; shows early names of streets; New Plat, pp. 10-15, 1909 Atlas of Jefferson County. Population in 1840 was between 50 and 75 people; in 1967, 11,500. Site of the First Iowa State Fair in 1854. Home of Parsons College, established in 1875. Four Corners. At the center of Sec. 22, Lockridge Township. Gets it's name from the intersection of roads at that point. P.O. Est. 28 Mar 1872 with James P. Vorhies first postmaster; disc. 13 Feb 1904. In 1888 J. L. Leafgreen was the postmaster; there was a store, established in 1873, and a blacksmith- repair shop. Plat, p. 23, 1909 Atlas. Once had four churches, Swedish Baptist, Swedish M.E., Swedish Lutheran, and German Lutheran. Germanville. Sec. 27, Walnut Township. P. O. Est. 10 Dec 1853 with John B. Bense first postmaster; Geo. Meyer was p.m. in 1850; Thomas Thompson in 1895; then F. P. Thompson. Office disc. 14 Apr 1906. Plat, pp. 26-27, 1909 Atlas. The Community once had three German churches; Catholic, Lutheran and Methodist. Now only Hope Lutheran remains. E. D. Wittmer was still operating a thriving general store in 1957; retired 1958. (Ledger, Feb 2, 1957.) Glasgow. Sec 21, Round Prairie Township. Oldest settlement in Jeffrson County. Glasgow is not a "vanished" village but its heydays are long gone. Plat filed 10 Jul. 1840 by Thomas Miller and Ephraim Glasgow; see pp 26-27, 1909 Atlas. P.O. Est. 24 Apr 1846; John Arrowsmith first p.m.' Geo. Chapman was postmaster in 1859; P.O. disc. 29 Jun 1901. The 1856 census taker found Glasgow a "flourishing little village containing 30 families, 136 inhabitants; two churches; one school house, two stores, three blacksmith shops, two wagon shops, one cabinet maker shop, one harness shop, one tailor, one tanyard, and one Tavern, a Post Office, & c." The last general store closed in November 1957. Glendale. Sec. 32. Lockridge Township. P.O. Est. 21 Oct 1859; James A. Shreve, first p.m.' disc. 14 Jan 1863; re-est. 4 Apr 1863. In 1878 Michael Damm, old resident, erected a large handsome, two-story frame building for use as a residence and store room. (Tribune, Apr 2, 1890, Pioneer History of Glendale.) Greenland. In 1883 Hiram Greenland died after having been postmaster at Batavia for nearly a quarter of a century. On 12 May 1884 the P.O. Dept. ordered the name of Batavia P.O. changed to Greenland. Batavia was much agitated over the change in name, and a remonstrance was forwarded to the department, the signers holding that re-christening a town as old as Batavia was much against the best interests of the community. The department recalled the order on 19 Jun 1884, or the railroad might also have adopted the new name. Maggie Greenland, daughter of Hiram, became postmistress, resigned in 1894, and W. S. Shoemaker was appointed postmaster of Batavia. Harmony. A P.O. in the northern part of Cedar Township, Est. 21 Apr 1852; James A. Galliher postmaster; disc. 23 Nov 1859. Harvey's Mills. In the northern part of Sec. 26, Penn Township. P.O. Est. 11 Sep 1868, James A. Davis first postmaster; discontinued 2 Dec. 1873. Hope. A post office of this name was petitioned for in August, 1899, to be located about midway between Libertyville and Eldon, in Des Moines, Township. Simon H. Blough as to have been postmaster. Hope Post Office was never actually in operation, as the coming of rural mail routes made such an office unnecessary. Ioka. See Pekin, also South Ioka. Jefferson. P.O. Est. 2 Mr 1839; Henry Pitzer, Postmaster. On 25 May 1839 the name was changed to Fairfield, and Jefferson P. O. was discontinued. Jockey hollow. A stage coach stop along the old wagon road, between Parsonville and Glendale, for the route operated between Purlington and Des Moines. The tavern, or inn, was located on the south side of the road near a spring. The stable, or log horse barn, was across the road to the north. After the arrival of the railroad in 1858 the overland stage route was abandoned, leaving no reason for the Jockey Hollow Inn and tavern to exist. (Ledger.) Krum. Sec, 31, Fairfield (now Center) Township. First named Whitfield; see below. P.O. Est. 27 Jul 1892; disc. 19 Jun 1895; never actually in operation but Stephen A. Hutton was named postmaster. P.O. Est. 18 Jun 1896 with David A. Loury as p.m.; he was succeeded by Mrs. Emma Howard in 1898; disc. 23 Nov 1899. Named for Thomas Krum, many years a faithful employee of C. B. & Q RR at Agency. Libertyville. In Liberty Township; first known as "The Colony." In 1845 John Pitzer was employed to survey and Plat a town site. Plat, p. 26, 1909 Atlas. P.O. Est. 3 Feb 1856 with John Jewett as postmaster; then came A. N. Bissell; Henry Karne was postmaster in 1859. Methodist church erected in 1846; Presbyterians organized in 1850. In 1879 the town boasted three general stores, dry goods store, lumber yard, grain elevator, a hotel, wagon and carriage shop, harness shop, two shoe shops, one cabinet shop, blacksmith shop, a saloon, meat market and barber shop. Libertyville today is definitely not a "ghost" town. Linby. Sec. 5, Polk Township. Plat, p. 23, 1909 Atlas. P.O. Est. 23 Feb 1904 with Lafayette Dudgeon as first postmaster. Lockridge (new), Sec 36, Lockridge Township. The proper and plated name of the present town is East Lockridge. Plat, p. 26, 1909 Atlas. N. Simmons was postmaster in 1859. Population in 1894, 200. Lockridge today is certainly not an "abandoned" town. Lockridge (Old). First town in the county; laid off in 1836-37 by Col Coop at the common corner of Cedar, Round Prairie, Lockridge and Buchanan Townships. It flourished as a business place for a time. It was on a "ridge" of Land "locked" by Wolf and Lick Creeks. P.O. Est 20 May 1840 with Ira Tillotson first postmaster, followed by Daniel VanWinkle and William Bonnifield; disc. 21 Oct. 1850. Lono. See VEO Merrimac. First named Deedsville, which see above. It was given the new name in war times, and the act occasioned some excitement because the name was that of the rebel battleship. P.O. Est. 13 Jun 1866 with Wm. J. Rodgers as first postmaster; succeeded by Robert C. Risk, William Brier, Charles Bryan, Joseph A. Salzman, and Wade R. Carper. Never was platted. In 1888 the land was believed to be assessed higher than any other "acre" property in Iowa. When the mills ceased operations and the last store closed. Merrimac became almost a vanished village but lives on in the memories of older citizens. Mohawk. Name given to the community around Mohawk School in Sec. 11, Lockridge Township, near Cedar Ford on Skunk River. In 1903 a rural Telephone Company was organized at Mohawk, to run a line from Four Corners to Merrimac; Peter W. Lyon, President, on whose farm Mohawk School was located. Monroe. A Town that never was. It existed only on paper. Surveyed in 1840 by David Switzer and laid out for William Houghton, "proprietor," in the southwest corner of Jefferson county, Iowa Territory. (Ledger, Mar 17, 1962.) Mount Sterling. Plat filed in 1837 for a village with this name at the terminus of a territorial road running from Burlington to Trenton, Henry County, and on to a point near the northeast corner of Penn Township. Only a village on paper. New Haven. A platted village in the northern part of Sec. 1, Lockridge Township, as shown in the original surveys made in 1837. That is the only evidence remaining of its existence. Otero was listed as a rail stop between Fair field and Perlee. Packwood. Secs. 13 & 14, Polk Township. Named for Samuel Packwood, who owned the town site. Plat, p. 23 1909 Atlas. P.O. Est. 8 Jan 1883, Lenora F. Thomas, first postmistress; Geo. W. Caldwell p.m. in 1894, succeeding J. A. Clark. In 1890, Packwood had three general stores, one hardware store, two grain elevators, a brick and tile factory, M. E. Church, Christian Church, school, etc. Pop. In 1890, 245, Packwood today is a thriving town. ("Pretty Packwood," Ledger Sep 7, 1892, and "Packwood & Its People," Tribune, Dec 16, 1896.) Parsonsville. About seven miles east of Fairfield. P. O. Est. 22 Mar 1858; John J. Sharps, first postmaster; disc. 4 Apr 1865. A railway station on the C. B. & Q,, one or two stores, a tavern, a blacksmith shop, a Methodist church and several homes, all now vanished. Pekin. Sec. 6, Polk Township. Formerly in Keokuk County. Plat, p. 26. 1909 Atlas. Feb 12, 1889, the Ledger stated that Ioka Station was to be re-christened, and after April 1st it would be known as Pekin. See Ledger May 2 and May 30, 1894. P.O. Est. 7 Dec 1903, George H. Carter, postmaster; disc. 28 Dec 1903. Purlee. (See Acheson) Sec. 33, Penn Township, on the Rock Island R. R. P. O. Est. 3 May 1872; Frank J. Demarsh, first postmaster; discontinued 15 Jun 1928; re-est. 7 Nov 1928. James J. Demarsh, first postmaster; discontinued 15 JUN 1928; Re-est. 7 Nov 1928. James K. Bates was p.m. about 1887, and Douglas B. Coop was p.m. in 1909. Plat, p. 23, 1909 Atlas. In 1879 Perlee had a population of 500, three dry goods stores, one grocery, a drug store, a saw-mill, a hotel, blacksmith shops, Presbyterian church, school with two teachers, IOOF and K. P. lodges. Perlee was a :boom and bust" town whose rise and fall followed that of the coal mines in the vicinity. Now only the IOOF Hall and a few dwellings remain. (A Phanton Town," Ledger, Oct 25, 1930.) Pleasant Grove. P.O. Est. 7 Feb 1840, Stephen Heard, postmaster; disc. 16 May 1845. Not found on maps of periond mentioned. Pleasant Plain. Secs. 2 & 11, Penn Township. A. M. Emry was the postmaster in 1859. Plat, p. 18, 1909 Atlas. A "Quaker Meeting" was organized at this place on Feb 3. 1841. Pop. In 1894, 197. Noted for the "Old Academy" which stood on the ground where the brick school building is now located. Richard A Hartman is pastor of the Pleasant Plain Friends Church in 1967. Polishville. Sec. 20, Walnut Township, St. Mary Church (now a "landmark") and Rectory. The church was built early in 1882, with a tower 74 feet high. Many citizens of Polish descent lived in this vicinity. Rossville. Sec. 25. Lockport Township. Name used by Hiram Heaton for the cluster of log houses erected by S. S. Ross in 1838. Here Mr. Ross built a dam on Brush Creek, and a saw mill, and opened a store. This was a great boon to the early settlers. Salina. At the corners of Secs 7 & 18, Lockridge Township, Secs. 12 & 13, Buchanan Township. Laid out in April, 1852, by Thomas Allender and John Hoaglin. Named for Salina Park who married Amon Garrett, Plat, p. 23, 1909 Atlas. P. O> Est. 21 Apr 1852, David Cowan, first p.m.; L. Launchbaugh was postmaster in 1850; office disc. 15 Jun 1904. Peter Hoaglin at one time kept a store, also a hotel under the sign "Travelers Rest." Pop., 1894, 200. By 1914 Salina was acquiring cement sidewalks and street lights. The Presbyterian Church marked its 110th anniversary on Jul 17, 1966. South Ioka was located near Pekin, or was originally Pekin itself. Typee. P. O. Est. 1 Apr 1846, John Mehelop, Postmaster; disc. 19 Aug 1846. Not found on maps of that period. Vega. In the northeast corner of Sec. 35, Round Prairie Township. P.O. Est. 5 Jan 1870, Geo Chapman, first postmaster; shown as Vega P.O. on page 210, 1875 Atlas of Iowa; office disc. 18 Nov 11890. (Changed to Henry County.) Veo. Sec. 5, Penn Township, on the B & W RR. P.O. Est. 31 Oct 1884; V. O. Jones, was another community with a similar name along the railroad, the name was changed to Veo after the initials of Velenzi Ovington Jones, who came from Dublin and started to build a store, which served the community well for a number of years, under various owners. There were also stock yards, a blacksmith and a cheese factory. Walnut. In the southwestern part of Penn Township. P. O. Est. 15 Jun 1846; James I Murray, first postmaster; F. W. Heard was p.m. in 1859; disc. 12 Mar 1867. Webster. Listed as a Post Office in Jefferson County in the Iowa Handbook for 1856. Not shown on map Whitfield. A village and railroad station in the eastern part of Sec 31, Fairfield (now Center) Township. P. O. Est. 19 Feb 1886, Stephen D. Walsh, first postmaster; disc. 16 Jul 1891. It was the intention of the railway company officials to call this station Whitwood, after Deodatus C. Whitwood who, about the time of the construction of the road, owned the land on which the depot was located, but through an error in transcribing the name it was called Whitfield. Names was changed to Krum, which see above. Woolson. Sec. 3, Black Hawk Township. A station on the Burlington and Western RR. Named for John S. Woolson, once senator from Henry and Jefferson Counties, and who died a U. S. District Judge. P.O. Est. 5 Feb 1883; Richard W. Shelley, first postmaster; replaced in 1895 by J. W. Argo, who erected a building and put in a good stock of general merchandise. Richard Shelley had a lumber yard; Oliver Draper, feed mill; L. d. Smith, Blacksmith shop. C. P. Sater had a stock of genereal merchandisel building burned Apr. 20, 1893. P.O. disc. 15 Jul 1909. Now only the Woolson Friends church remains. It dates from 7 Jul 1864. (Ledger, July 7, 1964.) Wooster. In the wester part of Sec. 13, Cedar Township, P.O. Est. 10 Dec 1853; John Templeton, first p.m.; Henry Keltner was also a postmaster at Wooster, and Z. T. Smith was the last, when the office was discontinued 2 Mar 1891. Wooster also had a Hard Shell Baptist Church, A General Store and a blacksmith shop. Lou Gaines owned the farm in 1921 and he moved the store and post office building and made of it a hog house, and the little old post office aliongside the Glasgow road was no more. (Ledger, Jan 18, 1958.)