of Menard and Mason Counties
By T.G. Onstott
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CHAPTER XXXIV Page 327 The Methodist Church has always been in the vanguard of civilization. Before 1840, Havana was the central point of Methodism. The preacher made his headquarters here and radiated out over the sparsely settled country, always going on horseback, with his saddle bags filled with some of the church literature, not forgetting the Methodist Almanac for which he always got ten cents apiece, but now the patent medicine man gives out gratis. The appointment, which the Mason City circuit formed, was first established at the Palock schoolhouse. Next in order comes the Baptists. It also had its origin at the Palock schoolhouse, but was bodily transferred to Mason City in 1859. Elder L.R. Hastings was the first resident minister, having settled on an improved farm east of town in 1851, and he organized the church in 1856. The Presbyterian society was organized in 1857 by Rev. Templeton and Andrews. John Andrews had charge till 1867, when S.J. Bogle assumed the pastoral charge. Services were held in the schoolhouse until the building of the frame church in 1871. It was decided to sell it and the present fine brick church was completed and dedicated in 1872. The society has a membership of 200. The Catholic Church was organized in 1872 and purchased the frame church of the Presbyterians. They have added to it, so it suits their purposes. Union Chapel was a dilapidated dwelling in the southeast part of the town. In the spring of 1876, Ewing Sharp and Dr. Taylor formed a Mission Sunday school here for the special benefit of the poor in the city. A wonderful interest was soon aroused among those, who by their poverty considered themselves shut out of the means of grace, where so many attend more to display their new bonnets and silk than to display their piety. The building was soon found to be too small and an old billiard room was purchased and moved to a suitable place, remodeled and made comfortable. The first flour mill was built in 1868 by Hulshizer and Smith, the first banker. A.A. Cargill was the first merchant. C. Hume, another pioneer, was in business in 1858, but for several years was out upon a farm. Dr. A.R. Cooper was the first physician. Travis and Brown built the first elevator; Probst and Cutterell, the first drug store, and were succeeded by Patterson and Conover; they by J.S. Walker and he in turn by Kincaid & Bradley. The first newspaper was the Mason City News. The first issue was on July 4th, 1867, the day the C.&A. Railroad entered Mason City. The Mason City Journal was established in the fall of 1871 by I.E. Knapp, he having bought out the Havana Review. It was edited by Cap. Stover when Knapp sold out to W.S. Walker. In 1874 Walker sold out to Wells Corey and Dr. J.A. Walker. In 1868 Campbell & Porter opened up a bank in their double Mammoth store. Campbell & Porter did a large business for several years. There was a war between them and Sharp Brothers and competition ran so high that they sold plow-shoes at one time for twenty-five cents, and it is even said that they gave a man twenty-five cents to take a pair. It is said that both firms were driven to the wall by this foolish way of doing business, nor did their customers ever thank them for selling their goods so cheap. We want to pay a tribute to the memory of Labe Swing, the pronounced enemy of the whiskey traffic in Mason City. He took a dedicated stand against the saloon because it was wrong and he never swerved from that stand. Though it cost him loss of friends and loss of trade, yet he stood firm and denounced it. He was only in the advance of the age in which he lived, and his name will live in coming years when the saloonkeeper will be forgotten. Frank Smith and David Powell organized a bank. The Mason county Soldier Monument stands in the center of the city park. It was erected at the close of the war at the cost of $5,000.00 and is a handsome tribute to the brave boys who laid down their lives for their country. It has been the unvarying custom for the people to decorate the monument on the 30th of May. The cemetery, located east of the city, is a beautiful city of the dead. It is beautifully laid out in squares and many fine monuments have been erected by loving hands. Mason City might be called a city of churches. The tall spires that reach heavenward would seem to indicate that they were spiritual. Mason City has two or three churches to one saloon, while Havana has three saloons to one church.
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