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Audubon County |
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CHAPTER XVIII.TOWNS AND VILLAGES. (CONT'D)From History of Audubon Co., Iowa (1915)
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OBSOLETE TOWNS.Audubon City was platted and laid out by Thomas S. Lewis and Nathaniel Hamlin on the southwest quarter of section 25. Exira township, on September 3, 1856. It was a failure from the start. It contained a residence or two and a store. The first school house was there, all before 1861. It was all vacated many years ago and is now embraced in a farm. Louisville was laid out and platted by Nathaniel Hamlin on the northwest quarter of the southeast quarter of section 17, Exira township, on October 23, 1866. It was the site of the Green & Burnham steam-mill in 1856. Howard J. Green, Franklin Burnham and Charles L. Chapin lived there in 1856, and others lived there subsequently, before 1865. In 1866 it was the busiest place in the county, with saw and flouring-mill, store, blacksmith shop and quite a number of residences. It continued to be a busy place as late as 1874. During its business career its residents, besides those mentioned, were: Levi Zaner, Nathaniel Hamlin, John B. Connrardy, Adonijah J. Harris, James Harris, Horatio P. Smith, Leman Carley, Francis J. Shrauger, Robert T. Smart, Daniel W. Miller, John S. Wright, Charles E. Hartman, Kizer, Robinson and others. It is now embraced in the farm of Julius E. Herrick, Esq. Audubon Lodge No. 217, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the oldest lodge in the county, was organized at Louisville, October 19, 1871, and built an Odd Fellows hall. The lodge was moved to Oakfield in 1874 and the hall was torn down. Hamlin was laid out by the Hamlin Town Company, consisting of Nathaniel Hamlin, I. N. Donnel, P. Gad Bryan, George W. Seevers, Hugh W. Maxwell and H. Devere Thompson, in sections 1 and 2, in Hamlin township, in 1872. The plat was filed on April 29, 1873. It was the fairest townsite ever founded in Audubon county. It contained a hotel, several stores, a school house and several dwellings. It was defeated for county seat in 1873, a lamentable event and to the lasting injury of the county that it was not selected for the permanent county seat. It was vacated many years ago and is now embraced in a farm. |
