Pictures from the Past 1953

Firemen's Work Alleviates Suffering at Wreck

Here is the Chariton Volunteer Fire Department's rescue car and the firemen in action.  The members of the department helped the doctors remove the injured passengers from the car, carried them on stretchers to the waiting ambulances.  The latter took the patients to the Osceola hospital and to the Yocom hospital in Chariton.  Note:  This picture and story courtesy of the 1953 Chariton Leader paper. by MaLinda Travis

Pictures from the Past by MaLinda Travis War Years

Cemetery Tour September 30, 2012

Appeared in the Chariton Herald Patriot on September 27, 2012

Annual Cemetery Tour Sunday, September 30, Features Remarkable Lucas County Civil War Stories

The stories of a Chariton woman who rescued her husband from behind enemy lines and the Chariton Patriot editor who valiantly led escaped slaves and free black men into combat against the Confederacy will be among those told, during the annual cemetery tour sponsored by the Chariton Historic Preservation Commission.

The event, with a Civil War theme to recognize the five-year sesquicentennial of that great conflict, will begin on the Lucas County Historical Society Museum campus at 3:30 p.m. with coffee, lemonade and cookies and the opportunity to view the society's collection of Civil War-related artifacts.  Buses will leave the museum for the tour at 4 p.m.

Admission will be $5 per person, with proceeds going to the preservation work of the commission as well as covering transportation costs.  Adance tickets are available at Piper's, Ben Franklin, the Chariton Chamber/Main Street office, Clark's Greenhouse and City Hall.  Tickets also may be purchased at the door Sunday.

The first stop on the tour will be Chariton's first cemetery, Douglass, which dates from 1846.  There, Jerry Davis and Frank Myers will present the story of Oliver W. Coffman, a saddler with the 1st Iowa Volunteer Cavalry.  Coffman became critically ill while serving in the South and was sent home to recover, but died in Chariton on Dec. 26, 1863.  Because most Lucas County soldiers who died during the war are buried in national cemeteries far from home, his grave is unique.  Also unique is the fact his flag-topped tombstone survived a century of neglect before Douglass Cemetery was restored.

From Douglass Cemetery, the tour will continue at the Chariton Cemetery, founded during the Civil War and now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The first stop there will be at the grave of Elijah Lewis.  Lewis, who with his sister Lucretia, jointly edited and published The Chariton Patriot for many years prior to 1900, was a Quaker who had to balance his pacifist convictions against the perceived need for violence to free the enslaved.  He found his calling as an officer commanding free black men and escaped slaves organized in Pennsylvania into the Eighth Infantry Regiment, U.S. Colored Troops.  Lewis and his men were acclaimed for their valor, but he was critically injured in battle, barely surviving to live a long and interesting life.  Max Slobodyanik will portray Lewis.

The next stop will be at the grave of Laura R. Gibbon, also a Quaker, who arrived in Chariton as a newlywed in 1861 with her physician husband, Dr. William H. Gibbon, just two months before he accepted a commission as surgeon to the Fifteenth Regiment of Iowa Volunteer Infantry.  When he and several of the men he was treating were captured by Confederate forces in Arkansas during 1863, she set out to rescue them -- and did.  Sarah Davis will portray Laura.

The final stop will be at the grave of Napoleon Bonaparet "Bone" Branner, a long-time Chariton attorney who arrived in Lucas County during 1853, but returned to his native East Tennessee when the Civil War broke out to serve the Confederate cause in the 43rd Tennessee Volunteer Infantry.  Branner survived the war and returned to Chariton, but his younger brother, Tom, who had enlisted in a Confederate unit at age 15, was killed in the Battle of Staunton, Virginia.  Roger Manser will portray Banner.

Rock Island Coal Mine No. 3

Years and Years ago - 1942

The Rock Island Coal Mine No. 3, Williamson, closed down its railroad production and would be operated in the future on a commercial basis by the Powell Coal Company.  The mine was working 200 men, but when in full production employed 400 men and produced 2,000 tons daily.

Pictures From the Past 1952

Historical Residences in Chariton Iowa



A.W. Mauk



A. C. Riebel



G. J. Stewart

J. A. Penick

S. H. Mallory

Steinbach Home

Stephens House now the Lucas County Historical Society

W. C. Penick

W. W. McFarland



Yocum Hospital Pictures 1930 - 1950



Around 1930






Historical Pictures of Derby Iowa in Lucas County

South Side Burned March 8, 1920 Derby Iowa



North Side of Street in Derby Iowa



OddFellows Hall in Derby Iowa




 

State Bank in Derby Iowa

1860's Chariton Square

This article and picture appeared on the Internet from Roberta Zastawniak September 2012. http://www.facebook.com - log in - then search for Chariton - You grew up in Chariton -

Thanks Roberta -

In the late 1860's Chariton was in a period of rapid growth and change. The railroad had come through Chariton in 1867 and the Civil War had ended a couple of years before that. Wooden structures were being built to house businesses that were rapidly coming to this town. Two brick buildings belonging to Matson and another to O.L. Palmer were located on the square. Matson's was located on the west side of the square, while Palmer's was on the east side.

The picture above shows the east end of the north side of the square. None of the buildings are now standing. The first building on the right was a hardware store, followed by an empty lot.

Wm. McDermit's boot and shoe manufacturers occupied the third lot. The fourth lot housed the Alex Rogers' furniture manufacturers. If you were to look close you might see two straight-back chairs dangling from the furniture store front.

The fifth lot housed the G.W. Black Hardware Store, and it and the empty lot next door are still in the G.W. Blake family via the Blake Johnson Family.

An unknown business occupied the seventh lot. The "new" building, on the final lot, belonged to Colonel Dungan, and was occupied by M. Schworn's General Merchandise business.

The Opposition House, located in the building on the Northeast corner of the square and was of special interest. Thomas Musselman ran the hotel, restaurant, saloon and apparently a "house of ill fame." It was located where the Charitone Hotel is now. (There will be more about the Opposition House in following stories).

A few additional points regarding the photo: In 1869, the street on the north side of the square (now Court Avenue) was called Madison. Also, it is interesting to point out the board fence and hitch rail around the courtyard. The fence was necessary at that time to keep hogs, cattle and horses out of the courthouse yard. There was also a wooden boardwalk across the street.

Directly north of the old brick courthouse was something unusual - but most certainly a necessity in 1869: a double outhouse.

Historical Pictures of the Chariton Square



West Side of Chariton Square



East Side of Chariton Square



North Side of Chariton Square



South Side of Chariton Square



Patriot Office in 1869

This article and picture appeared on the Internet from Roberta Zastawniak September 2012. http://www.facebook.com - log in - then search for Chariton - You grew up in Chariton -

Thanks Roberta -

This building, owned by Joseph Brown, housed two businesses: the Brown and Pritchet Meat Market and the office of the Chariton Patriot. Located on the northwest corner of the square, this was considered a "new" building.
The Brown and Prichet Meat Market, was located downstairs and was apparently a popular gathering place. Possibly the picture was taken on a Wednesday as people gathered for the latest news, or maybe a fresh load of meat was due in that day.
The office of the newspaper, the Chariton Patriot, was located upstairs of this "new" building and the paper was published every Wednesday. Terms of subscriptions were two dollars a year, in advance. George B. Ragsdale was the editor and Moses Folsom was the proprietor.

Big Coffee Pot

This article and picture appeared on the Internet from Roberta Zastawniak September 2012. http://www.facebook.com - log in - then search for Chariton - You grew up in Chariton -

Thanks Roberta -

This picture shows another Chariton business, Joseph A. Brown's Stoves, Tin and Hollowware Store. It was located north of the northwest corner of the square on what was then Harrison Street (now called Main Street). It was easy to find in Chariton as an ad of that era encouraged shoppers to find the store at the sign of the "Big Coffee Pot."

Camp Lincoln in Lucas County

These postcards are dated 1909

2nd Lucas County Court House

This article and picture appeared on the Internet from Roberta Zastawniak September 2012.   http://www.facebook.com  - log in - then search for Chariton  - You grew up in Chariton
Thanks Roberta -


The 2nd Lucas County Court House ... The second Lucas County courthouse replaced the old log courthouse built in 1850. It was located on the east side of the square just south of the alley. Jack Jennings and his Turner's clothing store was located in this building when John Pierce wrote these articles.
In June of 1858, the citizens of Lucas County voted 588 to 71 to build a new courthouse on the public square. This brick structure would be sixty foot square, two stories high with a bell tower, and was to have cost around thirteen thousand, five hundred dollars to build.
Actual costs pushed this figure closer to twenty thousand dollars. The builder was W.T. Wade, with County Judge Ethan Gard supervising. Under Judge Gard's direction, the foundation was made of logs. This was something new in architecture and proved to be the building's undoing.
After about ten years, cracks appeared in the walls to the extent that many believed the building would collapse. Sheriff Gaylord Lyman rented a church where court was held.
When the courthouse didn't collapse, court was again held there until 1891. On November 11, 1891 the Board of Supervisors ordered county offices to be vacated. Supervisor A.M. Wheeler was appointed to find suitable rooms, which he did at a cost of one thousand dollars per year.
The records and offices were relocated to the upper story of the Dewey block, which was the east end of the south side of the square. This arrangement continued until the present courthouse was completed in 1894.
The picture of the second courthouse shows the north and west side. The second floor of the south side is where Hiram Wilson, murdered of Sheriff Lyman, was hung.

Pictures from the Past by LaLinda Travis



Pictures from the Past by Linda Baynes

Great Golfers from the Past

Back row:  Left:  Norvel Lowe, William Stuart, Tome Jones, Ralph Hobt. 

Front row:  Left:  Joy Fisher, Abe Haas and Joe Levis.

Picture taken by Lynn Johnson.  Golf trip to Galena, Ill.

CHS Yearbooks Sought



Lois Dixon discovered yearbooks dating back to the early 1900's, the earliest being 1913.She is now doing a project to have at least one copy of every yearbook put out at CHS from 1913 to the present for a large yearbook display to be shown later this year.  The years she is looking for are 1915, 1919, 1933, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1979 and 2011.  If you have one of these and would be willing to donate it to the school, please contact her at Chariton High School.  She is the guidance secretary and registrar at the school.  Thank you.

Pictures From the Past by Sanda Stump

1948:  Pictured is the night crew warehousemen at Hy-Vee Warehouse.  Front row left to right:  Rodney Thompson, Edgar Hoffman, Paul Peterson, Owen Ellis and Don McCauley.  Second row left to right:  Roger DeBok, John Foster, Dave Neighbour, Raymond Boldt and Stub Williams.  Third row left to right:  Ralph Anderson, Evans Olson, Kermit Wood, Virgil Hickman, Frank Ellis, Al Rich and Gene Lenzine.  Back row left to right:  Reed Wright, Bill Hickerson, Harold Chapman, John Hamilton, Lewis Willoughby, Byron Voss, Ike Swigart and Chester Ellis.  Not picture is Leland Sims.  (Picture courtesy of Mary Lou Boldt Davis, Grand River, Iowa).

Pictures From the Past 1879 by Sandra Stump

Pictured is the Gibbon building at the north end of the east side of the Chariton square.  Dr. William H. Gibbon built the building during 1879 to house his drug store.  Also pictured is the inside of his drug store.  The Gibbon building is currently the oldest building on the east side of the Square.  Rexall Drug and Klaasen Drug were later located in the building, now Iowa Realty currently occupies the building.

Pictures from the Past 1870 by Sanda Stump

Circa 1870:  Pictured is Matilda Lyman standing in front of the home she shared with her husband, Sheriff Gaylord Lyman, and their five children:  Mercella, Ellis, Willis, Eddie and Nellie.  The unpainted house was a common example of the 1860's.  The chimney was of loose bricks laying on the roof and the wooden shingles were of low quality.  There was a wooden sidewalk running in front of the house.  Mrs. Lyman was born Feb. 8, 1834 in Pomeroy, Ohio and died on the same day in 1911.  Her husband, Sheriff Lyman was elected sheriff in 1861 when he defeated John May.  The last time Sheriff Lyman was elected in 1869, he defeated W. J. Hall.  Sheriff Lyman was elected four times.  In 1870, at the age of 42, Sheriff Lyman was shot down by horse thief Hiram Wilson.  Sheriff Lyman is buried in the Chariton Cemetery.