Jones County Historical Society

                                                        February, 8, 2007

Dear Friends,

Based on several factors such as the items to discuss (not many items on the agenda) and the possible weather problems during this time of year we have decided not to hold a January meeting this year.  We will hold an additional one during the time when the museum is open this summer when we need to discuss items for the events being held at that time of year.

If you have any article that you would like to have in an upcoming newsletter let Byron know – otherwise we will continue to find something of interest from the library at Edinburgh.

 

            If you have any questions about something prior to the April meeting please contact Byron Freese or one of the other officers and we will try to address the question.

           

            Thanks to all who participated in the Safe Halloween that was held at Edinburgh in October..

We had a good turnout and many new faces to visit the museum.  Thanks to all who participated in decorations, handing out candy and taking care of the refreshments.

 

It is time to renew you membership for another year (if you have not already done so). The last year you did is on the upper right hand corner of your mailing address.

Dues are $5 for a family and $3 for a single.  

Since we do not have a meeting scheduled you can wait until the April meeting or you can also send the renewal to Byron Freese at 12974 E23 County Home Road, Scotch Grove  IA  52310.

Dues can also be given to any of the officers.

 

Officers this year is as follows:

            President – Daryl Wherry                                             Secretary – Cindy Gunther

            Vice-President – Jim Christianson                                 Treasurer – Byron Freese

                                                                                                Curator – Wilma Merfeld

            We have had several request this year from persons via the Internet Web site that has been set up. Enclosed is a list of several of them. If you have information on any of these let us know so that we can respond with some answers.  Our web site is http://www.rootsweb.com/~iajchs/jchs.html

Please visit this if possible to see what we have started on as our web site. It is in the process of changing with new and changed items.

           

Some items to keep in mind:

1. Plans for the Pancake Breakfast – Sunday May 6 for the opening of the Museum – if you normally do something for this prior to the April meeting let an officer know if you need help or have a question.

2. Any grants beneficial to the museum.

3. Ideas for any special Sundays and for Edinburgh Day - Which will be held August 26, 2007

 

                                                                             Happy New Year             

                                                                                    Daryl Wherry - President

                                                                                    Jim Christianson – Vice President

                                                                                    Cindy Gunther - Secretary

                                                                                     Byron Freese – Treasurer

                                                                                    Wilma Merfeld - Curator

 

This is an article that is in the History of Jones County Vol. 1, published in 1910

There are many interesting items in this book and others at the Edinburgh Museum.

 

Earthquake History

 

          Seismic disturbances are usually credited to mountainous regions, and future generations might not believe that the sensations peculiar to such disturbances have been experienced in Jones county.

          The first earthquake disturbances experienced in the county of which any remark has been made, occurred about twenty years ago.  It occasioned more than passing notice, though no injury resulted other than the shock to nervous people.

          The next earthquake experience occurred on May 26, 1909.  In describing this we cannot do better than quote from two reports, one taken from The Monticello Express and the other from The Wyoming Journal, each published the day following the seismic disturbances.

          The Monticello Express: "Monticello experienced a distinct earthquake shock, yesterday morning, the 26^th inst., At 8:40 o'clock, which lasted several seconds.  The direction of the disturbance was north and south.  It was not generally observed by those on the street, but people in the second stories of buildings noticed the disturbance.  At both the schoolhouses it was observed.  In the second story of the Lovell block it shook the windows and produced the feeling produced by a strong wind blowing against a frame house.  The typesetting machine in The Express office gave its operators the sensation of strong movements.  At the racket store some articles were shaken from the shelves, and from different parts of town came experiences that settled the character of the disturbances.  During the day came the news that the earthquake was general throughout the upper Mississippi valley.  No particular damage was done, aside from broken dishes, but in some places, particularly Dubuque and some Illinois points the movements were so strong that the occupants of factories and tall buildings rushed out into the streets in alarm.  We had the same kind of experience in Monticello a little more than twenty years ago, when the earthquake was credited with the cracking of cement lining of the city reservoir.  Some amusing incidents were connected with the seismic movement.  Dr. Hefner, who had just adjusted his furnace, supposed it had blown up and rushed into the cellar to find it behaving beautifully. George Guyan asked his partner to drive out the dog he thought was shaking the table.  Over in Richland, Lester Winner was eating his breakfast, and the table shook so violently he asked his wife to drive the cow away for he was sure she had gotten in the yard again, and was rubbing herself against the house."

          The Wyoming Journal: "An earthquake shock caused many of our people to sit up and take notice yesterday morning about 8:30.  The seismic disturbance was of short duration, and did no serious damage to property, but the vibrations of buildings were startling in the extreme.  The writer was in his office in the second story of the Williams block and the thought at the rumble and vibration of the walls was that a heavily loaded truck was being run over the floor of the store below, causing the effect noticed, but the fact that it was a new one in energy and never before experienced raised a question.  Enquiry disclosed the fact that others had realized that the earth under then had been a little unsteady at the same time.  Dr. E. N. Stoffel was standing in his office leaning against his office safe talking to a friend when the shock came.  The safe rocked sufficiently to cause alarm and he got away from it  Glass cases rattle and things looked like a moving picture show for a time of few seconds.  In the Kettlesen store the crockery rattle and there was considerable vibration.  At the lumber office of L. W. Butler, Mr. Butler was sitting talking to a traveling man and both were alarmed at the shaking the building received.

          "Will R. Eldred, who was confined to his bed in the home of his mother on the hill by reason of an accident the previous day, says his bed shook so he thought there was some one under it giving him a scare and peeked under the bend for the trouble.

          "The quake was also felt at Onslow and north in the country as far as the home of James Hamilton in Clay township reports of the quake come in."

 

 

 

Severe Windstorm of 1898

 

          On July 19, 1898, a severe windstorm visited Jones county, and especially the northern part.  The storm came up in the early evening.  Monticello, Scotch Grove, Center Junction, Cass Castle Grove and Wayne suffered the most destruction, though there was more or less damage in all parts of the county.  No person was injured so far as learned.  Barns were blown down, crops injured and trees leveled.  The windmills were blown down quite generally.  One firm in Monticello alone as a result of the storm, erected over one hundred and fifty windmills.

          This was the last destructive windstorm to visit Jones county.

Since the creation of the Jones County Historical Society website http://www.rootsweb.com/~iajchs/jchs.html in July of 2006, it has been the source of numerous contacts from different parts of the United States and from Scotland.

 

Our first contact was on July 10, 2006 from Portia Benadom Beebe of Lake Isabella, CA by email and phone.  Her mother was Helen Port, daughter of Dr. Frank Port and Alice Port and her father was Dr. Samuel Coy Benadom, the second son of Samuel Edward and Elsie Benadom.  She offered to donate items that belonged to her grandparents.

 

Carl and Lorry Berndt were looking for information on Harriet Rowe Mott.  The Revolutionary War Pension file of Harriett's father stated she had a family record that she began keeping in the 1830's. 

 

Connie Sterner of New York was looking for information on Walter Benton who spent about 10 years in Anamosa Iowa around the 1870s or 1880s and apparently he ran a successful lumber yard there before moving on to Minneapolis where he got into the Linseed Oil business. 

 

Don Wilson of Lake Stevens, WA was looking for information on Mildred (Ellison) Paul (1889-1994).  Mildred’s son-in-law, Jack Smith of DeWitt, IA thought that Mildred may have left some family papers to either the genealogical society or the historical society. 

 

Terrence J. Lindell, Professor of History at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa inquired about a photo of George H. Wolfe (1825-1889). Wolfe served as captain of Company C, Fourteenth Iowa Infantry, beginning in late 1861. This company later became part of the Forty-first Iowa Infantry Battalion, then Company M of the Seventh Iowa Cavalry. 

 

Our latest contact was on December 4, 2006 from Dr. Euan W. MacKie, Hon. Research Fellow, Hunterian Museum of the University of Glasgow, Scotland.  Dr. MacKie contacted Byron Freese by phone and email asking for assistance to collaborate with research concerning the rotary quern.  His research paper centered on the history of the rotary quern in North Britain, the use of which goes back more than 2000 years.  He thought it interesting to end his paper with the story of the quern that ended up in Scotch Grove.  Byron provided Dr. MacKie with many photos of the quern, the red river cart, and information for each item.  Dr. MacKie sent a copy of his manuscript to the Society. 

 

For more information on the website or on the inquiries, please contact Byron Freese, 563-487-3651, befreese@netins.net or Sharon Oltmanns, sdoltmanns@aol.com

 

If you might have any information to add to the responses please contact Byron or Sharon so that we can add your reply to the requestor.  You may also write to the Jones County Historical Society at 13838 Edinburgh Road  Scotch Grove,  IA  52310

The JCHS Grant Committee brainstormed potential grants and proposed programs and projects during meetings conducted in November, December, January, and February. 

 

Some of the potential grants included the Dubuque Racing Association Grant, Jones County Endowment Fund Grant, Farm Bureau Grant, Prairie Meadows Grant, and other non-profit grants found on the State Historical Society website and the Iowa Non-Profit Resource Center website. 

 

The committee submitted applications for the Jones County Endowment Fund grant for the Preservation and Display of Museum Artifacts project and the Dubuque Racing Association grant for the Preservation Standards project. The committee is in process of looking into other grants for other projects. 

 

To satisfy the requirements for some of the grants applications, the committee needs to outline some of the proposed programs and projects into an implementation plan with a workable timeline and budget along with consideration for available resources. 

 

For more information, please contact Byron Freese, 563-487-3651, befreese@netins.net

or Sharon Oltmanns, sdoltmanns@aol.com.

 

 

Right now, Sharon, Byron and Jim Christianson have been working on the grants.  If you would like to help or if you know of some other grants that might be available please contact one of us.  We will also need help on planning and research for some of these grants.