Firsts Mark a Century of Monticello History in Jones County
Historian R. M. Corbit chronicles Jones County milestones from 1838 to 1890. Key firsts include the first post office at Edinburg 1840, earliest bank 1867, first newspaper The Anamosa News 1852, and first church Scotch Grove at Edinburg 1841, among many others.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
R. M. Corbit
Jones County
Hugh Bowen
Ross
Bowen's Prairie
H. D. Sherman
Monticello
Edinburg
William Hutton
Clark Joslin
W. Cronkhite
Charles Kline
B. F. Shaw
John Gibson
First Lodge
I.C.C.F
Anamosa
First Bank
I. L. Simington
Olin
Sugar Grove
T. Stivers
Rebecca Merritt
Joseph Merritt
C. C. Rockwell
Newport
Clement Russell
Fairview
George Walworth
Barrett Whittemore
Scotch Grove
T. J. Peak
Rebecca Beardsley
Sorrow of a family in the great snowstorm era
Martha Gallagher recalls a 1856 or 1857 blizzard near Monticello that trapped the Wade family on a Langworthy trip. Mr Wade and his wife and baby perished, while the other nine children were sheltered by neighbors after a two day search.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Martha Gallagher
Wade
Wilcox Farm
Here
Monticello
Mrs. Wade
Langworthy
Mr .Wade
First Railroad In Monticello In 1858
Excitement runs high as Monticello welcomes its first railroad in 1858. Spectators crowd the streets, hoop skirts flutter, and some ride the rough train to Anamosa and back. Early safety concerns emerge after a later fatal accident and remarks about an unsettled road bed.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Monticello
Anamosa
Picnic Traditions At Higgins Grove In Monticello
A nostalgic account recalls Higgins Grove Shelley's Bluff and Meade's pasture as cherished early Monticello picnic and hiking spots. It notes teachers’ relief when students returned whole and fed, reflecting community life and schooling memories.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Shelley’s Bluff
Meade's Pasture
Yesteryear
Daniel Varvel First Settler in Monticello
In fall 1836 Daniel Varvel and William Clark began Monticello’s first settlement after leaving Kentucky and Ohio. They hunted and trapped through a harsh first winter while seeking a fertile wilderness future. Varvel later, at age 29, married Margaret Beardsley in 1840 and planned town streets and lots.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Daniel Varvel
Kentucky
William Clark
Ohio
Monticello
Daniel
Margaret E. Beardsley
Daniel Varve
H D Sherman Organized The Creamery Business Locally
The piece chronicles Henry David Sherman born 1824 who moved to Monticello Iowa and opened a school in 1858. It details his dairy initiative leading to the Diamond Creamery first creamery in 1875 and his later appointment as Iowa state dairy commissioner under Governor Larrabee.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
H. D. Sherman
Henry David Sherman
New Milford
Connecticut
Monticello
Sarah Elizabeth Secrest
Kentucky
Indiana
Fairview
Jones County
Iown
Secrest
Henry Sherman
Main Street
New England
Diamond Creamery Company
William Larrabee
Iowa
Monticello’s First Brick Building of 1864
The first brick building in Monticello stood at the corner of First and South Sycamore Streets, erected in 1864 by A. G. Zimmerman. He operated a boot and shoe shop, making and repairing shoes, and was an early town entrepreneur. The current Alva Behrends barber shop occupies the site.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Monticello
First
Sycamore
A. G. Zimmerman
J. B. Zimmerman
Zimmerman
Alva Behrends
Geo Stuhler Pioneer Boots Founder of Monticello Firm
George Stuhler born in Germany trained as an apprentice and immigrated to America in 1849. He opened his first boot and shoe business in Monticello in 1877, later expanding into three departments and a grocery store before his death in 1898.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
George Stuhler, Sr
George Stuller's
Stuhler
Germany
America
United States
New York
Pittsburg
Muscatine
Canton
Johnson
Monticello
Stahler
Monticello's First Postmaster 1847 and Old Literary Clubs
The article recalls Monticello history with William Clark named as the first official postmaster in 1847, notes Daniel Varvel and later postmasters, and lists the Friday and 94 clubs among long standing literary groups. It mentions rural delivery start in 1990, current staff, mail routes, and a 1930 peak of 13,000 Christmas cards. It also cites local anecdotes on early medical practices and rattlesnake prevalence in the 1850s.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Monticello
William Clark
Dani] Varvel
Daniel
Inquirer
Daniel Warvel
J. W. Moore
T. C. West
G. W. Lammon
Nathan Comstock
E. T. Mellett
James Davidson
John Blanchard
M. W. Herrick
L. T. Alexander
Daniel Pond
William Magee
J. T. Lanigan
George Gugan
M. F. Hogan
Monticello State, Bank
Axel Kraft
Ralph Lambert
John T. Breen
Grant Eilers
Claude Appleby
Loren Reichart
Dr. Hogan
M. E. Thoeni
Mary Locher
Sam C. Rhatigan
L. J. Thoeni
Carroll E. Podliuski
B. H. Lubben
Milton Thoeni
Hop Culture Boomed In Monticello In 1867
The Monticello Express noted in November 1867 that hop farming surged in town as S. Y. Bradstreet had planted six acres in 1866 yielding 690 dollars. Forecasts claimed about 100 acres would be cultivated in 1868, bringing 150000 dollars to the community.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Monticello
5S. Y. Bradstreet
Monticello Express
Also Mentioned on This Page
Higgins’ Grove
Dubuque
Daniel Varyvel
Phoebe
Middlewest
Samuel Varvel
Minnie
Ernest Anderson
Edith Sherman Averill
If. D. Sherman
Geo. Stuhler
George Stuiler
City
Friday Club
Shakespeare Club
Irving Club
Alt
Mike
M. L. Carpenter
R. P. Smith
Robert Hicks
S. B. Searles
Robert Henderson
Maria Wright
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