History Page 2
"As it was up to 1969"
This essay was written by Luan Breuer, Hillsboro, Iowa while she was in the seventh grade at Harmony Jr. High School 1969. Information for this essay was mainly obtained from Margaret Plummer, who lived in Hillsboro area all her life.
Hillsboro
A village in the middle west in Henry County, Iowa
The town of Hillsboro was settled in 1840, during the years following the Civil War. The town was a that time a long straggling village of one main street which contained the stores and shops, with a few side streets which had at one time been of some importance.
Just a short block to the north of this main street, and separated from it by a row of two or three houses and gardens was the public square. At first it was a bare plot of ground. Afterwards it was set out with soft maples and now serves as a park. Shade and band stand gave a suitable setting for all the civic celebrations, such as the Fourth of July and old settlers' reunions. In it original condition the square was the scene where generations of boys played baseball, blackman, and the many other games.
Directly north of the square and facing it stood an old two story building. At first it was used as a store but later was changed into a schoolhouse. The lower grades met int the bottom and the upper grades met in the top. The students considered it a great privilege when promoted to the upstairs.
Hillsboro was exclusively a farming area. The soil varied greatly in fertility. On the hills the soil was thin and clayey, on the flat prairie the soil was black and rich, this made farming an art as well as an occupation.
No minerals existed except for one or two small veins of coal. The exports were mainly hogs, cattle, sheep, wool and occasionally corn, oats and hay. The imports consisted of groceries, dry good, boots and shoes, a small amount of men's clothing, schoolbooks, and a limited amount of furniture.
Someone said, It is hardly conceivable that Hillsboro could ever become more than a rural village."
The village residences were mostly one-story, rectangular shaped, frame houses with no bay windows and few verandahs. There were very few log houses and the log houses that were, soon disappeared. All lumber used was floated down the Mississippi River and people went to Ft. Madison to get it.
The inhabitants were mostly immigrants from Ohio, Pennsylvania and Illinois. Most of the settlers were English but some were of the Yankee Stock. The religions were mostly Free Will Baptists, Protestants, and a few Congregationalists. But they soon faded out and Methodists and Christians came to take their places. The majority of people were Republicans in politics.
Modern scientific discoveries made little impression on the people, as for good schools they strongly favored them.
In Hillsboro, the same as every small town, there was gossip, the usual lapses of virtue, in spite of the stern social code. Everyone knew everyone else's business, family life, beliefs, and financial condition. There were few family secrets.
The community tempo was necessarily slow. There were no large business enterprises, and the wealthy, few in number, became so by careful living.
On Saturday afternoons farmers traveled to town to do their weekly shopping, bringing eggs and butter and taking back calico, sugar, coffee, boots and miscellaneous groceries. On other days especially in the summer, the town presented a leisurely appearance.
In winter men cut and hauled the years fuel and butchered a hog, a beef animal or sheep of meat. Every woman made her own soap from lye and grease. There was not a piano in town, or a furnace, or a piped water supply. Living was essentially plain and primitive yet quite comfortable.
Immigration came in waves like great tides. People were hungry for land and were led westward by possibilities of financial betterment in the virgin wilderness. The frontier still stretched out to the far western horizon. Many a covered wagon loaded with emigrants pulled through the village or left their homes on the way to Kansas. Life was stern and realistic yet unlimited possibilities seemed to open out before the hardy people of that generation.
The people of that day were for the most part pain and ordinary. Few towered above the rest in ability. Their apparitions were not high. Their ambitions were modest. They traveled little, as the roads were poor and largely undrained. The people for the most part were poor. They had few books, and no library. The weekly newspaper, mostly political, provided their only intellectual food and pastime. Church socials and ice cream parties were their social recreation.
And so the years came and went.........dry seasons, with grasshoppers and chinch bugs, wet seasons, with sodden fields and sullen skies, when the earth looked drab and cheerless. There was a series of wet summers when it was impossible to plow the corn, which was consequently smothered by weeds. A financial depression a the same time made living difficult. There were many foreclosures, much grumbling, and much emigration to more promising locations. Yet through it all most people retained their courage and optimism.
By the late 1800 and early 1900 there were approximately 28 businesses beside the Fire Station and 3 churches namely (1) Christian Church, (2) Baptist Church, (3) Methodist Church in Hillsboro.
There was on the west end of town the Black Smith Shop on the property of what is now the D. Giberson family home.
Not far north of the of the Black Smith Shop stood the Poultry House which sold eggs, cream, milk, etc. Later this building was torn down.
East of the Black Smith Shop Stood Plumbers Store, for ladies, which was later sold and changed to a cafe and in time burnt, but was also a thriving business of the community.
Next door, in the same building to be exact, was Ben and George Boleys Store. Ben sold out to George who in time sold to Mr. and Mrs. Corey, now residents of near by Bentensport, who owned the store when it burnt at the same time of the Plumber fire.
The next business was Miller's Car Sales. The last car bought in this building was a 1935 Chevy bought in 1936 by Wayne Ross. This building is now the City Hall.
On the corner of this street and a side street stood the theater which was of enjoyment to the people until its closing, about 15 years ago. (1954)This is now being used to store the town's maintainer. It is presumed that the theater was at one time used to print the newspaper.
Beginning with the second block stood Smarts Grocery Store which later became Wallingford's Grocery Store and now is used as a storage building.
Next to Smarts stood the furniture store, later used by the lumber company, and then changed to a cafe. but now this building stands vacant.
Next in line stood the barber shop used as a barber shop until 1970 when the barber passed away.
Beside the barber shop stood the "Green Lantern" Cafe, later a feed store and presently a lawn mower repair shop.
Along side of that stood Pages Grocery Store which is presently the pool hall.
Connected to Pages was the tavern, still being used as the tavern.
The next building was Nau's Grocery, later Morgan's Grocery and then changed to Jay and Eileen Harper's Grocery, that of which changed hands this past year and is now owned by Iris Swartout.
Beside this building was the Locker. Later ran by the C. Stanley's and in time was incorporated into the store.
Next, in what is now an ally, stood the livery stable, which was torn down.
Starting the third block was M. M. Doan's Garage. Later a creamery and presently and empty building.
Farther down the street on the north stood a hotel which has lately been replaced by a trailer house.
Back again on the second block on the North side of the street stood the Lumber Company, which burnt in a fire about 16 years ago. This spot is now Harlan Park.
Beside the Lumber Company stood a building owned by a man and his wife. One part of the building was a jewelry store and the other a milliner shop.
Next stands a large brick building which contained on the second story an opera house, now used as the Masonic Hall. On the first floor were two shops. One was used as the post office for a while and the other was a drug store. Both are vacant at the present time.
On the corner stood a hotel, now the home of the J. Anderson Family.
Crossing the street you would have Hoaglins General Store, the largest store in Hillsboro. This building now houses the post office, the library, a vacant building and the bank.
The Next building was the bank, later moved to the Hoaglins store. The building which the bank occupied has presently been remodeled and is now being used by the Legion Auxilary.
The last business on Commercial Street was a milliner shop that no longer exists, but in its place stands the W. Ludwig home.
Directly south and connected to the theater stands the fire station.
Down the street farther stood the telephone office later it was replaced by a new telephone office.
North of Hoaglins Store stood a building that housed the undertaking service. Now the building is used as a home.
Also included in the businesses were three doctors. One was a dentist, Dr. Graves, his office was just east of the Black Smith Shop. This building was also used as a beauty parlor and is presently a TV repair shop.
A second doctor was Dr. Harlan who had his office just south of the fire station. This building was also recently used as a library, but it sits empty as the library was moved.
A third was Dr. Howes who had his office just across the street to the east of the Lumber Yard. One of his daughters and her husband, Jr. and Wilma Doan, now live in the house.
The old school hose was replaced by the present school house which was built in 1936. At that time the school housed all grades through the 12 th grade. In 1960 the school was consolidated into the Harmony Community School District, which includes Hillsboro, Bonaparte and Farmington.
Hillsboro is still a quiet Midwestern town.
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This page was developed by
Aileen in Hillsboro
Last update:
February 22,2004
