Appanoose County History
Events in Appanoose County from 1904 to 1914

The citizens from all over Appanoose County could feel the pride and ownership as they gazed at the new courthouse towering above them as they would stride purposefully into the magnificent building to conduct their business. The feeling of progress was in the air and the future was very bright.

The county had come along way from the early days of staking claims, developing towns, creating schools and churches, and developing a society. This was accelerated in the 1870's when many railroad lines began to link many of the towns in the county with the outside world. Every town with a railroad became competitive with every other town.

The railroad was also stimulus for the development of the fledging coal mine industry into a giant business. Spur tracks were built right to the mines and coal could be loaded directly onto railroad cars and shipped to the ultimate market. Iowa took the lead in coal production in 1874 and held it for many years.
Appanoose county was one of the biggest producers going into the turn of the century. Rathbun, Mystic, Brazil, Centerville, Numa, Plano, Jerome, Exline and Cincinnati all had their own rail lines.

The coal mining industry created a great demand for unskilled labor. Especially in the 1890's there was a great influx of immigrants from Central Europe seeking promise of jobs in the opening of mines. Many were from Croatia, Czechoslovakia, Italy, and Sweden. Appanoose county became a mixture of nationalities, many of the miners having last names of ethnic origin, perpetuated through their descendants.

So 1904 was a year of great hope for the future with a great deal of new construction. Former Governor Francis Drake had given Centerville a new public library shortly before his death. Other public buildings recently completed or under way included the courthouse, the post office, and the hospital. The city of Centerville now had Electric lights and the Citizens Electric Light and Gas Co. obtained a franchise for an electric street railway system to replace the mule drawn railway. The interurban railway was in operation from Centerville, to Mystic, to Albia. There was a new sewer system and new brick paving on the Centerville Square.

School enrollment was booming. There were several fine newspapers. In Centerville many of the older churches were being replaced with new ones. Many new homes were being built by the wealthy bankers, doctors, lawyers, and coal mine owners, sometimes competing to see who could build the grandest home.

Another new exciting invention around the turn of the century was the automobile. This invention was to replace transportation by horse over the years. Distances became much shorter gradually eliminating the need for small towns, rural churches, and many rural schools.

Drag day was a major annual event on the courthouse square in those days. All roads were mud and in bad shape when spring arrived. The county designated farmers to keep certain sections of the roads dragged. They would drag the roads towards Centerville and prizes were given to those who came the farthest.

World War 1 from 1914 to 1918

World War 1 (July 28, 1914 to Nov 11, 1918) was the first great conflict to involve most of the civilized world. For two years, the United States had remained neutral, but on April 6, 1917, congress voted to enter the war on the side of the Allies, partly because of the losses on U.S. shipping from German submarines, including the Lusitania.

The call to arms was immediate. Co. D from Appanoose county was quickly filled, and they left for Des Moines to join the "Rainbow Division", leaving by way of the Albia Interurban on April 17 after a big sendoff the night before. They were led by Captain Glen C Haynes. They landed in France on Nov 29, 1917.

By November the merchants and townspeople had gotten into the habit of holding a parade everyday to show their support for the troops and to celebrate any good news they had received concerning the war. They would march all the way around the square, which is a distance of eight blocks. Their patriotism made national news.

Co. D finally came home to be mustered out May 17, 1919 after two years of sleeping in muddy shell holes, cold and hungry. Many recalled the terrors of the first alarm of a gas attack and the feverish haste in which they scrambled to put on their chemical masks, as well as the great relief when it was over.

The boys arrived by way of Park Ave. on the Interurban. They were rushed to West State Street to form up the parade. The Soldiers and sailors were followed by police officials, the boy scouts, the Red Cross ladies, and the Centerville band.
Then came the local drum corps in colonial costume, the G.A.R. boys and the Spanish American War Veterans. After circling the square the parade marched under the liberty arch past the reviewing stand. Finally they were dismissed to mingle with their families and return home.

The liberty arch seems to have been built for this specific occasion and was of sturdy construction with the word WELCOME in large letters across the top of the arch. It was dismantled afterwards.

Events in Appanoose County from 1918 to 1939

Coal mining activity had remained at a high level during the war. However coal mining sales from Appanoose County began a rapid decline after 1920. This was partly due to competition from other fuels and partly because the coal was of poor quality and hard to mine. This put a great many miners out of work especially in the summer when there was no home heating.

In 1921 Centerville and Harbold farms became the setting for many of the scenes of a movie, "The Wonderful Thing", starring the movie actress Norma Talmadge supported by Harrison Ford. The farms with their gently rolling hills and their famous Duroc Hogs, helped to provide a scenic setting.

The eighteenth amendment (prohibition) to the US Constitution was in force from January 1920 to December 1933. The "dry" movement had been aided by the Christian Temperance Union and the Anti-Saloon League. It was soon apparent that it was unenforceable. Many of the coal miners, idle in the summer, turned to making their own grape wine and were in constant trouble with the law. The 1920's saw a revolution in manners, customs, and habits prompted by the inclination of people to ignore the prohibition laws.

This was also a turbulent period due to the activity of the Ku Klux Klan. C.N. Mcdonald a Texan came to Centerville in 1923 to organize an Appanoose Klan with planks such as Americanism, purity of race and enforcement of liquor laws. There were strong religious overtones. Negroes, Jews, Roman Catholics and Foreigners were their targets. There were large gatherings and crosses were burned. After some bitter encounters the Klan movement began to collapse in 1925.

The automobile experienced a great boom and a new way of life in this period. A two-car family began to be a status symbol. Farm machinery, especially tractors, began to become the norm. The horse was regulated to small jobs and recreation. 1920 was also the time of the beginning of the first commercial radio and the Jack Benny radio show.

One of the major Appanoose road innovations happened in 1926. All the County roads including primary roads were mud. During rainy periods transportation would almost grind to a halt. In January the Appanoose county Board agreed to Shale the No. 30 road south of Centerville. The red shale was waste material from the mines and was piled in huge mounds that dotted the Appanoose countryside. The use of shale would go along way to getting Appanoose County out of the mud.

Then came the great depression. The stock market crashed on Black Friday in September, 1929. Jobs were almost non-existent. Many Farms were foreclosed. The severe drought and dust bowl on the great plains of 1934-35 did not help. President Franklin D. Roosevelt tried to bail the economy out with his New Deal Programs such as the WPA to create work. It took several years for the economy to struggle back to normalcy.

The site for Sharon Bluffs State Park was purchased in 1930. Centerville Community College was also started in 1930. The first Appanoose County corn husking contest was held in 1938.

World War II from 1939 to 1945

Twenty-three years after the conflict with the Germans, the United States again found itself embroiled in a world wide struggle. On August 31, 1939, Adolph Hitler sent his Blitzkrieg Army into Poland. England and France took up arms against Nazi Aggression. For a time the US believed that this war could not affect them and attempted to stay neutral. The United States was gearing up its Industrial power and supplying arms to the Allies through the Lend Lease act.

Japan, gambling on an axis victory, treacherously attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. America quickly girded herself for the mightiest struggle in history. By summer, sea, land, and air forces were attacking enemies all over the globe. The Allies, under General Eisenhower, landed in Normandy in June, 1944 and battered their way through France while the Russians pounded the Nazis on other fronts. Germany was hopelessly defeated and surrendered on May 8, 1945.

In the Pacific battle field, the Allies won control of the seas, then pressed toward Japan, island by island. The atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 and the Japanese surrendered to General Mac Arthur in Tokyo Bay on September 2.

One of the crack infantry outfits of the war was Centerville's Co. G of the Iowa National Guard. The unit was mobilized before Pearl Harbor and played a great part in the Italian and African Invasions. These 114 men were fully mobilized by February 10, 1941, and trained at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana under Captain Dewey Bear. In Italy, these troops sweated out the record of the longest number of days in the hottest combat of any of the troops in the war. They were deactivated in the latter part of 1945. The G.I. Bill helped many veterans to return to a normal life.

The farmers were finally prosperous during World War II as the high demand for food for the war torn countries had kept the prices high. As soon as the factories resumed civilian production, the farmers acquired bigger equipment, such as tractors and combines, and they found they could farm more land. They then increased acreage with the more efficient equipment. The small farmer was soon a thing of the past.

Another change that was brought by the war was that women learned that they could do men's work. They had earned the title of "Rosie the Riveter". In consequence, both parents working tended to become the norm.

Events in Appanoose County from 1946 to 1975

Over a period of years, the smaller families and the lower density of farms had been reducing rural school enrollment drastically. This resulted in many school mergers. Legislation forcing the reorganization of school districts became effective January 1, 1948. Many of the small town high schools such as Jerome, Numa, Exline, and Udell gradually disappeared in favor of busing into Centerville, Moravia, Moulton, or Seymour. All of the old one room school houses were sold for barns, garages, or even houses.

Television emerged upon the scenes of the early 50's. This new invention was very exciting, and soon graduated from black and white sets to color. The early sets all depended on vacuum tubes which had very high and vexing maintenance problems.

After only five years of an uneasy pace, the United States was again at war, this time to stem the advance of communism. In June, 1950 this Country entered the Police Action in Korea. The old draft law was quickly extended and many local men were again fighting in a far away foreign land. As the war progressed and the Chinese communists entered the action from the north, more and more young men entered into the armed forces. Finally a shaky truce was signed, but still troops lined both sides of the demarcation line.

In the 1960's the United States was pulled into a conflict with Viet Nam that was to divide the nation and bring many bitter feelings. The impenetrable jungles made it very difficult and many of our boys lost their lives. The conflict was so unpopular that many fled to Canada to escape the draft. Drugs also became a very serious problem. This unwinnable war ended in an ignominious escape by helicopter from a burning city.

In the fall of 1967, the Appanoose County Historical Society was reactivated by several interested individuals such as Harold Holder, William Stark, Walter Adams, and Walter Hoover. There were 679 Charter members. At first the museum was located in the vacated school building in Numa. In August 1973, the county deeded the old county jail and sheriffs quarters, built in 1872, to the society for a museum. In August 1982, the old Post Office, built in 1903 was purchased and converted to the present Appanoose County Coal Mining Museum. Both the old jail and the old post office were placed on the historic register.

Rathbun Dam and Reservoir was dedicated by President Nixon on July 31,1971. The project was first envisioned in 1937 as a means to control the flow of the Chariton River. It would be 28 years before construction was started by the Corp of Engineers in 1965. When filled, Rathbun became Iowa's largest Lake. Ultimately the project became as important for recreation as well as flood control.

Honey Creek State Park was established on the north side of the lake. Subsequently the Rathbun Fish Hatchery and the Rathbun Rural Water System were created. A destination park and a lighthouse project are now underway along the Rathbun Shores.

Events in Appanoose County from 1976 to 2000

All of the new technology in the 3rd quarter of the 20th century advanced at an ever escalating speed. Computer science has become mind boggling. Space travel and rocketry progress is beyond imagination. Medical science has uncovered new worlds. But progress continues to be made in every day activities as well.

In 1982, the Burlington Northern Railroad to Centerville was discontinued, and major industries like Curwood, Wells, and Rubbermaid lost a way to ship raw materials. Appanoose county had to come up with $2.2 million to buy ten miles of track that could be connected near Moulton. Through strenuous effort, various grants, and contributions, the money was raised. The Appanoose community railroad was formed and Centerville's industrial base was saved.

In 1984 the Moravia Library Board completely refurbished its city library in its new, larger location in the community building on the center of the square.

In late 1990 Iowa Southern Utilities Co. was merged into Iowa Electric light and Power Co. in Cedar Rapids resulting in the loss of about 100 management personnel and local control.

In 1995 the Historic Courthouse Square District of 121 buildings was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Iraq overran Kuwait with intentions of annexation. The United States responded with a military action known as Desert Storm. Troops overran the Iraqi soldiers in Kuwait quickly and pressed on into Iraq until a truce was called.

In 1996 the Appanoose County Heritage Group was founded for the restoration of the Baptist Church. This group eventually became the Historic Preservation Committee, which finally completed the restoration of the church in 2003. The group also branched out into a number of other historic preservation activities.
Beginning in 2000 they sponsored an annual celebration called Hometown Square and Levee days featuring various activities and tours.


Celebrations and Parades

The first Moravia Fall Festival was held in 1906. Fred Buckmaster had been on a cattle buying trip and came through a small town holding a festival. He asked his companion why they could not hold one in Moravia. They have held their three day festival in September ever since. While they have their parade, the celebration is somewhat of a county fair with nature exhibits and prizes.

The Moulton Jamboree and Short Course originated in the summer of 1923 when some 50 people gathered and formulated a three day celebration. After a few years the name of Short Course was dropped as the funding through the state agricultural classes had stopped. The big event was the colorful school parade with its many floats. Their were various displays of agriculture, handworks, crafts, etc..

On August 24 to 26, 1938 Centerville held a pioneer days festival. The men grew beards and dressed in pioneer costumes, and the women wore long dresses and sunbonnets. There were games, contestants, and a pageant. Co. G presented the colors and marched around with everyone in the cast.

On October 24, 1940 Centerville held an old King Coal festival. There was a mile long parade and the theme was "we've quit fiddling around and mean business-burn Iowa coal.

Croatian Fest was started in 1987 to celebrate the Croatian heritage and traditions. It is held on the Centerville square each year in July with music, dancing and entertainment.

In the spring of 1940 the Appanoose County Fair Association. was incorporated. The fair continues for a week in August and is held each year. The Fair grounds on the north side of Centerville has a large display barn and arena, and grandstands.

Centerville Pancake Day was started in 1949 as a means for the Centerville merchants to give a thank you back to the community. From modest beginnings of about 5,000 it grew to about 20,000 each year. Free pancakes are served to the crowd. There is a kiddie parade, the main parade, entertainment, and the evening queen contest. It is a one day celebration on the last Saturday in September.

Moravia held a celebration in the summer of 1976 to celebrate the United States 200th birthday. The events included horse races, a stage production, fireworks, an antique car show, four wheel drive pick-up pull contest, and a quilt display.