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FROM
THE HENDERSON TIMES
HENDERSON, IOWA
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1910

HENDERSON OF YESTERDAY - A Brief Bundle of Facts Gleaned From the Men Who Made Them. A View of the Past Out The Mirror of Time.

There are many of our townspeople who have lived through the long years in which our little town has grown from the rolling prairie into the prosperous little burg of today. From them and from their recollections and reminiscent conversations is where we glean the framework for our word picture of the past. No doubt this will be defective in many points of detail, which have slipped through the memory of Henderson's fast passing pioneers; but it will be near enough correct to bring the natural tone of days gone by to these old settlers' minds and will give the young some interesting facts about - "home."

Did you ever see a town without its old settlers? A town without its pioneers is a town without its grand old men! If there is such a town give it little thought, for a town that cannot keep and cherish old settlers is not a town to be proud of.

In 1875, we have had Henderson's picture drawn for us, in the form of unbroken sod, a clear stream to the west and one house, or shack rather. This house was located a little to the east of the depot site and was owned by a man named John Whitesides. When he arrived upon the scene is not known as he was the first as far as it is able to be learned.

To mention all the grand old men of this early period and tell what they did to aid in the growth of our prosperous little city would take volumes, but we have prepared a list of the oldest residents, who arrived between 1875 and 1885 and below they are given. If there are any old settlers who deserve a place in this roll of honor, which we do not have, then we must ask his pardon, for we have collected all we possibly could. Many of these men have passed away and many moved to other communities but a third of a century ago found them the bulwarks of our community. They are: Isaac, Eli and Joel woods, Jacob and Wes Coppock, James Ewing, Daniel Hougas, A.S. Paul, Henry Darnell, Edward Lawrence, James Boileau, Thomas Phillips, both Senior and Junior, M.C. Harover, W.H. Harbor, Joseph Graham, John A. Boswell, Cal and Cyrus Turner, Mosley Chase, Isaac Wilson, Robt. Pierson, Charley Maynes, Amazon Badham, A. McClenahan, Alexander Harolver, Sid Pitt, Ed Slump, A. Baumgartner, H. Buck, J.G. Bone, James Bone, Wm. Kilgore, J.H. Ayer, James McGee, J.I. Wilkinson, Richard Thomas, W.A. Chappelaer, Peter Cooper, W.R. Cooper, John Pritchett, George, John and Valentine Plumb, George Parker, Frank and Jack Kelly, J.D. Newton, Robt. Sowers, Hayden Carter, W.B. Wilson, A. Lumm, M. Harbert, Henry Maxwell, J.A. Stonebraker, R.S. and T.R. Stewart, Jacob Caughill, S.A. Tipton, Henry Hague, F.B. Starrett, M. Brammier, George Smith, Sim Potter, J. Houser, D.T.. Musselman, Samuel and John Baer (Barr), James Greig, C.W. Lumm, J.B. Fickel, Bosbyshell & Mason, Wm. Workman, _____ Trimball and others.

EVENTS WHICH MADE HENDERSON

Henderson was laid out to have the business section in what is now the extreme east and fine resident section of the town and several business houses were located there for a time. The store building in which the Workman & Co. hardware firm held forth was built by Daniel Hougas and formerly stood where the C.S. Swaney residence is now located A. Baugmgartner held forth there with a general store but thinking the location too far from the railroad, he bought the building of Mr. Hougas and moved it to its present location.

The first store was opened by John Barr, where the post office stands, which consisted mainly of a grocery stock. He also had the post office. The store just mentioned above was a close second and other early merchants were Stockdale who sold to Thomas Phillips, Starrett & Son who sold to Harover & Fickel. The Starrett store stood where Sturgeon Bros. are now located. A man by the name of Darner was our first implement man who sold a half interest first to Wm. Workman about 1880, which firm went under the name of Workman & Darner. Eli Woods then bought Darner's share and firm was known as Workman & Woods.

The first drug store was operated by _____ Waterman, closely followed by one operated by James Greig. This was sold to Woods Bros., Joel and Isaac. The Greig store formerly stood where the Farmers National Bank is now located but when it was bought by Woods Bros. was moved to the present H.F. Wilson hardware store site. Woods Bros. sold to Kelly & Co., Kelly & Col. to C.E. Irwin, the present druggist.

W.A. Chappelaer operated the first hotel and restaurant, Edward Hay established the first livery service. W.W. Creamer opened the first harness shop, J. Phillips was the first blacksmith, George Kanke and Wes Metcalf were our first butchers, D.G. Williams opened the first furniture store, and a man by the name of Carey was one of the first barbers.

The grain business opened here with two firms - Bosbyshell & Mason and F.J. Taylor. Taylor merged into the above firm and it changed into Mason & Trimball. This firm failed and James Greig next took charge. He sold to C.E. Irwin & Co., who sold to E.H. Harbor, the present grain man.

Our first livestock buyers were R.A. Morton and C.W. Lumm.

A.S. Paul was our first mayor and it is thought that a man by the name of Crane started the first newspaper in Henderson.

Frank Campbell was the first station agent who permanently located here.

Rev. G.W. Schaeffer, a Lutheran minister, was the first representative of his profession.

Miss Lizzie Archibald was the first school mistress. The first school building stood where the A.S. Paul residence now stands and was built in 1881.

Miss Grace Barr of Council Bluffs has the honor of being the first native-born Hendersonnite. Her parents were Mr. & Mrs. John Barr who were quite prominently connected with the town's early history.

D.T. Musselman was the first Justice of the Peace. J.S. Carse claims the honor of having started the cement walk fad by building the first public cement walk in town. A good many miles have been added since that first strip and it won't be long until a board walk will be as great a curiosity now as that first cement walk was then.

And so this little city has gone on from year to year adding with each turn of the globe round the sun, some improvement worthy of note and pointing toward advancement. Brick structures of large proportions have taken the place of the original small false front places of business. More business houses have been added and they have prospered. The streets are sewered, drained and well kept; the school facilities now unequaled; the churches now unexcelled in the material as well as the spiritual way of viewing it - take it all in all there has been a vast change for the better. So we leave you having given but a very brief overview of the past, but nevertheless a view of a brilliant and successful one. We cease the tale hoping that next year we may herald an epoch past of sincere advancement along the road of progress which will be still greater and more expansive than anything to which Henderson has yet attained.

ERRATA - In a previous statement we said that W.W. Creamer was the first harness maker. W.W. Creamer was connected with the harness business for several years in Henderson and his son R.E. Creamer owns it now, recently purchasing it of C.N. Morford. It is thought a man by the name of Thomas Carey was the first harness maker.

FROM
"HENDERSON, IOWA
100 Years of News
1881 - 1981"


According to an interview with Mrs. Joel Woods that appeared in a 1926 Malvern Leader, the Woods farm home stood where C.E. Irwin's drug store was, which, in 1981, would be the second store building from the west on the south side of main street, now vacant. The Woods barn stood where the old hotel stood, which is the area just west of the Henderson Locker on the north side of main street, and the Woods hog pens were where Hugh McSweeney was in business, which, in 1981, is the site of Brown's Service Station, also on the north side. John Barr built the first store where Brown's Service is and ran a post office and grocery. Anthony Baumgartner built the next store east of there but it was too far from the railroad so he moved it to the corner where the oil station built by Orlo Harris is located.
Also, according to Mrs. Woods, the town's first name was Potter, called this after a man named Potter who was manager of the C.B. & Q. Railroad. Some of the older men jokingly claim that Mr. Potter thought the town would never amount to anything and refused to let it bear his name; however, this was not the true reason for the change - it was found there already was a Potter, Iowa, so they gave it the name of Henderson. Mrs. Woods said the town was named for D.B. Henderson, a Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; however, Mr. Henderson was not elected to Congress until 1883, two years after the name of Henderson had been in use. Other reasons found over the years have been that it was named Henderson because many people from Henderson County, Illinois, settled here; that it was named for a Col. Henderson who was a member of the survey crew for the C.B. & Q.; and that it was named for Dave Henderson since the crew building the railroad had established a camp in his yard. You may choose the version you like best."
City of Henderson, Iowa
Henderson Community Building
310 Maple Street
Henderson, Iowa 51541
1 (712) 825 5151

henderson.city@gmail.com