Pierson, Iowa History

TOWN FIRSTS:
The towns first building and business was the Train Depot built by hauling lumber from Correctionville in 1883.

Elevator - 1883 by Correctionville lumber and built by Messerole & Cavanaugh for William Warnke. It was purchased by John C. Pearson and Mr. Hayton in 1897.

Lumber Yard - 1883 by the Joyce Lumber Co. out of Carroll, first manager was Emery Martindale

Water - four private wells is what supplied the new town it's water up until July of 1898 when the water tower was built just south of the buildings on Main Street

Telephone - The first telephones where that of private lines put between homes and businesses. The telephone exchange was organized in November 1902.

Bank - The Payne Brothers of Kingsley, Iowa were the first to build a bank in Pierson in 1890. It sat on the corner of Second and Main St. The first Cashier and manger selected was that of a Civil War veteran, due to his splendid ability and well know integrity, Mr. Solon F. Benson. He also had cashier help from his son J. Herbert Benson. This wood frame buildt bank was tore down and replaced with the brick structure in 1909 and this first bank closed in 1925.

Grocery Store - In 1883 Mr. Henry Castle buildt the first store in Pierson. It was a combination of the Grocery, Hardware and the Post Office. It was built on the east side of main street at second street.

Repair Shop - the year 1914 and F.F. Nicolls opened the towns first automotive repair shop for the Studebaker. the garage owners where Edsel Hapgood, E. Beeghley, Eli Crom, Joe Hail, W.E Young, Ed Irwin, Rock and Karsten, Chris Treptow, Harry Wahl, Jay Stevens, and Hurby Hansen.

Veterinarian - First to service the farmers of the area was Peter Elliot who moved on to Kingsley, sorry the history book doesn't give a date. The one to succeed Mr. Elliot was Dr. B.B. Binnall in 1917.

Drug Store - 1889 operated by R.J. Collin then sold to Anderson in 1890 then sold out to D.D. Cottrell in 1899. The list of ownership hands goes on with F.F. Nicholls, to J.A. Brodie then on to a life long service by Mr. Laverne Snyder, who wasn't actually a pharmacist and only had popular medicines and home remedies, but was very fluent and well qualified for sound advice on how to use them and when.

Pharmacist ( lincsed ) - Dr. J.H. Rippey, who came in 1893 and served the community until moving to Kingsley in 1893.

Newspaper - The brief story on the Pierson "Progress" doesn't give precise start up rights to anyone. But it changed ownership several time starting with Fred "Piney" Freeman, to a Cedar Falls newspaper man, Mr. Campbell then to the person of the story's header, a Edward T. Bramson. Mr. Bramson , who was the former owner of the Correctionville, IA. "News" , purchased the Pierson "Progress" newspaper on June 30, 1924.

Post Office and Mail - before the railroad in the "eighties" the mail came to the area by stage coach and delivered by Mr. Lorenzo Dean ( husband of Ellen Landon ). It was carried by team and wagon or horse back , to Rock Branch to Lozier then on to Quorn.
Once the rail way came in 1883 the first post office was established in the Christy's Store on January 11, 1884. Qunicy A. Christy was the first postmaster.

Blacksmith - The first was Mr. Orner, no date were given in records or clippings. Those to precede him, in no given order, were Mr. Dayton, Mr. Riser, Jake Thom, William Davis, Myron Lewis, Mr. Duncan, and William Baltzeore. Then in 1921 Lorenz Nissen purchased the business from Mr. Baltzore.

Doctor - Dr. J.W. Effner, physician and surgeon, came to Pierson in 1899.

School - The first school was built in 1882 in section 1 of Rutland township, now to be the herbold addtion of the town of Pierson. The first elected school district was by John Watson and the first teacher was Miss Ida Miller. This 18' x 22' school house soon became to small when the railroad bought more settlers to the area and in 1885 a bigger school was built by J.P. Mead on the corner of fourth and Main St. It was 1892 the Idependent School district of Pierson became origanized. The first graduate of the Pierson High School that can be recalled from this town's history book is in 1898 was Charlotte ( Lottie ) Ostrander, Randolph, Neb. . I am not sure as your volunteer about the place that is listed for Charolette. It might of been her location or last known location when this history book was written since it also gives her married named.

DISASTERS that brought the "old" town building and community to a bitter end.

1928 Tornado - The fifty mile track staring near Moville, and traveling up what is now called the Wolf Creek Valley, and ending it's path of destruction to a point beyond Cherokee. Along it's journey it destroyed most of the telephone lines and electrical power, took out the farms ( barns , home or buildings ) of Herbert Herbold, Henry Snyder, William Wilcox farm west of Rock Branch, also hog house of Fritz Bohle farm ad many other farm buildings damaged or destroyed. The Grand Meadow class rehearsing for there play was caught in the storm, a few of the boys where outside at the time it swept through, and knowingly they leaped from there autos and laid flat on the ground.   Only person injured through the tornadoes path was Mrs. B.R. Grawburg and this was due to slipping down the stairs. But many horses, cattle and other livestock didn't make out so well.

Winter of 1936 - A blizzard struck Pierson and the area Feburary, tying up traffic and isolating the town. There was no relief in sight of this snow and high winds for days to follow. It filled up cuts and produced huge drifts that blocked roads and even had the railroad at a halt. This cause depleted supplies and many families had to risk walking into town to get needed supplies that may or may not be available. Schools were shut down indifintely and shoveling produced snow piles ten to twelve feet high in front of businesses.
The mail carrier could not deliver mail with horse and wagon due to the high drifting and did his route on foot.   Doctors couldn't get to ill patient and the farmers had to origanize
to drive in shifts to get the doctors around. It took thirty-eight men and twenty horses to go eight miles in the blizzard. The horses and men simply got mired down trying to get through this harsh condition.

Flood of 1945 - On saturday afternoon, August 4, 1945, Pierson had a heavy rain storm that some say left at least 10 inches. A rain earlier in the week had already left the soil saturated so water rushed down the streams. South Pierson was now under water. The Ralph Walkers house, about half way down the block, was moved to the center of the street. Ralph Crom's sheep that were in the pasture ended up down in the golf course and up in trees. Mrs. Gray was rescued of her front yard standing on a chair holding on to a tree limb. And the oat bundles of the Otto Troll's Oat field were now in the Nanne's pasture. The town was isolated untill late Sunday and town folk had to take the long route around untill the new bridge over the creek was rebuilt in July 1948.