Anamosa - A Reminiscence 1838 - 1988

Early Days of Dartmouth - Lexington - Anamosa
by Bertha Finn
The first frame house built in the city limits of what
later became Anamosa was built by Edmund Booth and
his brother-in-law. Col. David Wood. This was in 1840.
It was built with lumber brought from the mills at
Buffalo Forks. one mile or more away. The nearest
buildings. beside the settlement at the Buffalo mills
was Clement Russell's log house. four miles southwest.
later called Fairview. Booth. as editor of the Eureka
wrote. ”The inhabitants of the region were Indians.
rattlesnakes. wolves. deer and other game and in the
whole county not 500 white people."
Col. Wood died soon after. and his widow. Hannah.
married Gideon H. Ford. Hannah had two sons.
Danforth and William. Ford moved the house down on
the Military Road. on what was later the intersection of
Main and Mill street. in the southwest end of town. This
was on the road to the settlement at Fairview. where
more pioneers were arriving monthly. The Fords used
this building as an inn for an overnight respite. The
Fords were the only settlers in the "valley" for a year or
so.
The first laying out iplattingl was in the summer of
1840. by Col. Thomas Cox. at the request of John D.
Walworth. of the Buffalo mills site. This was done the
week after the county seat was located at Edinburg.
The site was called Dartmouth. but was never officially
recorded. This fact did not prevent this name on the
printing of the early maps. however. and many of the
(early settlers arrivinE
at the settlement from 1840 to
1847. referred to this place as Dartmouth.
In 1841 there were enough settlers that the county
could furnish voters for the jurors and leave enough for
a respectable number of officers. witnesses and
litigants. But none were located near Ford's Inn.
Edmund Booth was visiting his sister. Hannah Ford
and Gideon one day about in 1842 when the Indian
chiefand his wife and daughter stopped in. The name of
the maiden. Anamosa. was later remembered by Booth
when the name of a post office was being selected some
five years later.
In 1846 a store was started by Meda.ry. C.L.D.
Crockwell and Harry Mahan. This small room was in
the residence on the corner of Main and Iowa streets.
afterward the house of H.C. Metcalf and still later the
property of John Foxall. Medary had establisheda store
at what was then called Springville. though it was only
a sparse settlement. Crockwell. a young man was left to
attend the store while Medary. his uncle. went to
Dubuque for more goods.
Benjamin Chaplin. at that time. lived in Dubuque and
Medary hired him to help bring in the new stock. Mr.
Chaplin was familiar with this section. having carried a
mall route on horseback for four years. and while on
their way to the settlement. he began to urge Medary to
locate in Anamosa. instead of Springville. Medary was
very skeptical about the advantages of the place saying
that the lack of people would starve him out.
Calvin C. Reed had just erected a saw and grist mill
on the Wapsi where the old iron bridge is now. and was
doing a good business. Chaplin mentioned this and also
spoke of the Buffalo Mills. recently purchased by J.H.
Fisher. explaining that people were coming to that
place from a distance of 20 miles. Medary was finally
conviced that maybe a store could make a go ofit.
The first load of goods taken to Springville. was again
boxed up and hauled back to ‘Dartmouth’. It was a
much needed addition to the place and soon attracted
other restless pioneers searching for a permanent place
to settle.
December 28. 1846. when Iowa became a state. the
defunct Dartmouth was replatted by R.J. Cleaveland of
Olin and called Lexington. after his native Lexington.
Massachusetts. The following summer Lexington
became the county seat of govemment. Forty lots were
offered for auction. These were sold by pledges and
$800 was raised. This money went toward the erection
of a county courthouse. In the meantime. court was
held at Ford's place. where small additions were made
to the inn. (More regarding the courthouse may be
found in another section ofthis book.)
The courthouse was erected on the hill on East
Hickory street.
The county seat’s location in Lexington attracted
more and more settlers and the struggling village began
to slowly grow. Joseph Fisher also wanted to see the
town enlarge and often showed the country-side to the
immigrants. convincing them to stay.
In November 1847. a post ofllce was opened at
Anamosa. and in September I848. the name of the“
town was changed to match the post office.
In 1848 Gillett & Osborn. general store owners.
received their first stock of goods from Boston. It was
shipped to New York and up the Hudson river. then via
the Erie Canal and the Great Lakes. and again by canal
to Peru. Illinois. G.J. Hakes. Jonathon Porter and
William Gage. with their teams. were employed to go
after the goods. They were each paid one dollar per day
and expenses. The trip took two weeks.
In 1856 Joseph Fisher and son Israel. who operated
the Buffalo Mills moved their immense business in dry
goods and general merchandise into Anamosa.
{In 1853. William Haddock. started a newpaper. ‘The
Anamosa News and Journal’. published every
Saturday. The county officers at that time were: Judge
Joseph Mann. W.W. Wilson. Clerk of the County and
District Courts: S.T. Buxton. Treasurer and Recorder;
Marshall Turley. Prosecuting Attorney; Jacob
Bodenhofer. County Superintendent of Roads: F.M.
Hicks. Sheriff; M. A. Clark. County Surveyor: Samuel
Lawrence. Coroner and Deputy Sheriff; Pratt Skinner
was a private surveyor and civil engineer.
Advertisers listed in the paper were Joseph Mann and
A.R. Cotton. attomeys: Dr. Clark Joslin; Dr. S.G.
Matson. surgeon and dentist; Thomas Thompson.
tailor; W.W. Williams and Baker 8: Berriman.
carpenters: Henry Koffitz. blacksmith: and R.R.
Benedict. mlllwright. machinist and engineer.
Very few merchants were listed. The Anamosa Drug
Store was operated by C.L.D. Crockwell and brother.
John. Joseph Fisher & Son were on the Buffalo mills
site. which was advertised as ‘Upper Anamosa’. H.C.
Metcalf had a dry-goods store. J.A. Hunt was selling
‘Boots. Shoes and Groceries".
The Anamosa Eureka was started in 1856 by John
Lovejoy. It was soon sold to C.L.D. Crockwell. Later
Matt Parrott and Edmund Booth operated the paper
together. with Booth taking over the entire paper in
1858.
By 1856 there were three brick yards in full
operation. The editor of the Eureka called for