Anamosa - A Reminiscence 1838 - 1988

obituary of his daughter. of giving the settlement that
name.
The second school was also a log cabin. built for that
purpose. and located southwest of the settlement on
the Marion road. The site was selected so it would be
outside of thejurisdiction of certain ‘wild frontiermen'.
Thomas Booth, writing on the early schools: “In the
summer of 1849, I think it was. a school opened in the
roomy basement of Dr. Matson's large, new frame
residence, south of Booth Creek. on the Mt. Vernon
road. a half mile beyond Fairview and afterward the
property of Timothy Soper. This was in charge of Miss
Aletha Hall. Fairview at that time consisted of three log
cabins, one frame houses and one partly log and partly
frame.
By the 1870's Fairview contained two general stores,
proprietors were James Secrest and Noble Mershon:
two blacksmith shops run by Morgan Mott and William
Manly: a hotel kept by Hendrixon Mershon. and Dr.
Thomas Mershon sold drugs; Isaac Taylor ran a
sawmill. Other named residents were John and Tom
Caffee, Henry Mundy, Mrs. Dawson, Fred Leeper.
Charlie Romer, Mike Sandusky, Ha1Ty Hakes, T. Joslin.
Leonard Starkweather.
John Craighead came to Fairview in the spring of
1849. His family followed in November of that year. The
log cabin awaiting them was occupied by the Andrew
Storrs family. The household goods, seven loads in all,
were piled in the yard and covered with hay. The
children. with others in the neighborhood, were playing
about, several days later, and set fire to the hay. The
Craighead farnily lost part of their possessions.
The town's accommodations were so few for a time.
that not only were the Storrs and Craighead families
living there, but the teacher, who ‘boarded around‘.
was also housed there.
John Craighead eventually was made postmaster
and started a little store. An accounting of some of his
business was saved for posterity and is listed as entries
made in 1849-50:
James Peet, one pt. molasses 8 cents
M. Sadowski, 12 lbs. salt 18 cents
Henry Booth. 1 lb. pepper 183/4 cents
Harry Hakes. 2 plugs tobacco 5 cents
John Russell, 1 oz. cinimon 5 cents
John Joslin and Amarcha Olmstead credited 1 wild
skin each on account. Commodities were held at 50
cents apiece.
Garret Mann is charged with 1 lb. saleratus, 15 cents.
1/2 lbs. coffee, 8 cents; 1 box matches. 1 cent
Gideon Peet, 2 lbs. nails, 16 cents.
John Crow, (father of E.M.), 5 pipes, 5 cents and
credited by buckwheat. $1.02.
Jacob Soper, credited 2 lbs. butter, likewise, Hiram
Joslin
William Newhard is charged with one new horseshoe.
35 cents and mending harness. 20 cents
David Mann credited with 2 turkeys (probably wild),
$1.00
Miles Russell, credited 2 pigs. 40 cents
Masten Brundage. credited 2 bushels of wheat,
John Crow. is charged with whiskey 5 cents. cloves 5
cents
William Gage, is charged for 1 gal. whiskey 50 cents
(for fever and ague preventative) and credited with 1
bushel spring wheat 40 cents
James Boone. is credited by onion seed 12 1/2 cents
and one bucket of onions, 183/4 cents
Amarcha Olmstead. is credited by one lot of fish 371/2
cents.
Gideon Peet appears as debtor to one card of hook 8:
eyes, 5 cents; and is credited by 13 ozs. butter, 93/4
cents
Edmund Booth is booked for 1 basket. 30 cents: 5
sheets of paper. 5 cents: 1 tin cup, 6 cents: 1 ball candle
wick. 5 cents. 1 thimble. 5 cents: ‘/2 lb. starch, 61/4
cents: and credited for 74 lbs. rags. $1.48.
On a single page, to give some idea of the variety of
goods in frontier stores. there are charges of: a flne
comb, a slate pencil. ribbon. liniment. saleratus, paper.
crockeryware, tea, molasses, flaxseed oil, a box of
Moffat's pills; soap, and John Crow went on the ticket
for 3 cigars, costing 5 cents.
In 1874 the owner apparently was R.L. Leech, who
“re-fltted" the Fairview House and planned a grand
opening. The Anamosa Eureka noted: “The afternoon
will be devoted to the reception of elderly people and in
the evening there will be an ice cream supper with all
the condiments and closing with music and etc.." At
this writing, the site of the old hotel has not been
determined. The Hall site was given as a possibility.
This is the old, red building, cited by Mrs. Ella Hall, as
the old stage coach stop. She has stated that it had
wooden floors on the bottom floor, which could be
driven into, and also that it contained a barber shop.
This was told to her by her mother.
The horse thieves, highwaymen, robbers, and their
ilk, were a constant concern to the early settlers and
each community or town, at different times, had their
own "protective societies."
In 1869 the horse thief association in Fairview was
called the Fairview Regulators. They had a captain.
lieutenant and twenty riders.The riders were to
immediately inform every member when a horse or any
other property was stolen. and each member was
bound to start immediately on horseback and search
diligently two days. if any clue was available regarding
any thief or horse, they were to go until all hope was
lost — or they were successful.
They had $150 in the treasury, with access to more
on credit from prosperous members. If, for fifteen days
after the due date of the annual payment of $1.00. the
dues were not paid, the members weren't protected.
The names in good standing were: F.S. Dumont
George Moore. J.M. Peet, William Manly. M. Porter. A.
Storrs, Silas Robbins, T.O. Bishop, C.E. Brady.
Fred Leaper, G.J. Hakes, Tim Soper. C.
Armstrong, W.C. Breed. Ira Breed, E. Newman, A.A.
Myrick. V. Newman, Job Nicholson, Asa Aispaugh.
Amos Merrill, T.O. Foley, William Curtis. George
Easterly, Henry Orrnsby, A.H. Musson. Philip Moyer. A.
Helmick, Jacob Spade, Hiram Joslin, George Brown,
George Burns, John Ellison, S. Lawrence, Ambrose
Parsons. J.A. Peet. O. Lockwood, J. Lockwood, J.S.
Murfield. F.M. Myrick. C.A. Newman. Eber Peet, C.T.
Myrick. E.V.Miller, D. Stewart, A.A. Brown, R.
Stephens. J.W. Arnold, Charles Curtis. Silas Rundal. S.
Shields. L. Easterly, William Stephens, John Pollock.
and C.H. Mershon.
It was not their purpose to hang or shoot anyone, but
to bring the "rascals" tojustice.
The Postmasters and the dates of appointment.
through October 24. 1904 are as follows:
Gideon N. Peet. September 16. 1840
Established Pahamo September 16, 1840: Fairview
July 8, 1843
Clement Russell, July 8, 1843
S.G. Matson. March 2,1844