Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, June 17, 1954, Page 8

     

     

     

Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, June 24, 1954, Pages 1 &8

In response to a special invitation to the fiftieth anniversary observance of the founding of the Tingley State Savings Bank, Hon. F. E. SHELDON, of Saratoga, Calif., has written an interesting letter, reminiscent of the early days in the Tingley community. Mr. SHELDON, who was one of the original directors of the bank and who was identified with the banking and real estate business in Ringgold county for many years, writes about the name of Tingley, re-location of the post office, the coming of the railroad, how drunken workers turned Tingley into a "wild west" town, the burning of business houses, the establishment of the bank and many other history-making events of interest to the readers of the Record-News.

His good letter reads as follows:

"To the officers, directors, stockholders and employees of the Tingley State Savings Bank: You do not know how much I enjoyed it and the memories it brought back to me when I received the invitation to attend the celebration of the 50th anniversary of your bank.

"I hope you will pardon me for referring to the early history not only of the bank but of Tingley township and the early history of the town. In the early 80's, when the railroad came through the county from Humeston to Shenandoah, the question of a town site was considered. The railroad company wanted to locate a station where Tingley now stands. The land was owned by non-residents, the AVENELL Brothers, Charles and Jim, who thought they would get some easy money. Jim AVENELL lived near where Eugene was located at that time (south of Shannon City), and his brother, Charles, lived in Illinois, and the land was owned by some people in Michigan. The AVENELLS slipped up to Michigan and bought the 400 acres and then and then asked the railroad company as much for the 80 acres they wanted to buy as the AVENELLS paid for the 400 acres. The railroad or town site company said they would not locate the station on that land, but would go further west. The result was to get the town site company to locate where the town is. The AVENELLS had to give the company 80 acres to get them to located the town there.

"At that time the post office as on my father's farm, five miles northeast of Tingley, so my father volunteered to have the office moved to Tingley on the railroad. The town of Tingley was named after the post office, which was originally located in Union county, about two and one-half miles east of our home, and was named Tingley after Tingley CORNWALL, who operated the office when it was first established. He sold his farm and went to Montana and the office was then moved to our place and kept by my father until it was moved to the present location.

"Geo. SWAIN, who was operating a store in Eugene at the time the railroad came, moved his store to Tingley, and was appointed postmaster and at that time he asked my father to let him take me to help run the office. He gave his consent, and while I was only about 15 or 16 years old, I had helped to run and look after the office when it was on our farm.

"The railroad was completed whenI was with Mr. SWAIN, and believe it or not, when the two sets of men that were building the railroad, one from each direction.

There was a druggist operating a drug store in Tingley by the name of Dr. St. JOHN, and he sold liquor to the railroad las. One day while they were there a few of them had too much liquor. Each bunch had a dog and the dogs got into a fight in the street near SWAIN'S store and soon the men started a fight and all that day sure was a regular "wild west." The railroad fellows rode up and down the main street shooting off revolvers and started to take over the town. As the town was not [Page Eight] incorporated they had no police, but things got so rough toward evening that Mr. SWAIN sent his brother out to John COLE'S, who lived about three miles northwest of Tingley and asked COLE to swear in three men as officers, which he did. COLE was a justice of the peace.

"However, after a lot of fights, I could tell about if I had time, the businessmen had St. JOHN leave his stoe and lock it up, so they could not get any more liquor. That night the store was set on fire, supposedly by the railroad bunch. Anyway it burned not only the drug store but ROWELL'S harness shop, a furniture store and a hotel,all on the south side of the street, east of the SWAIN store. As there was no fire department then, they tried to save what they could by removing things out of the building. The result was that the railroad bunch stole a lot of harness and other things and carried them to their tents where they were living at that time. The next morning SWAIN sent a man to Mount ayr to have thems end the sheriff up and they searched the tents and found most of the property that was stolen and arrested about a half dozen of the ringleaders. Then the railroad boss got busy and immediately moved all the crew out. It sure was a wild time and I am sure nothing like it ever occurred in Ringgold county before or after.

"I worked for SWAIN'S for about six months and then job a job on a farm. Later I worked for Chas. JONES, who operated a grocery store there until he sold out and went west.

"Now as to the bank, Geo. SWAIN was also responsible for me getting connected with the Tingley bank. Several years after I worked for him he was elected as a member of the board of supervisors in the county and at a meeting of the board in Mount Ayr, he came to see me. I was at that time associated with the firm of ALLYN Bros. in Mount Ayr. They had a bank, also a farm loan and real estate business. I was the manager and part owner of the real estate business. SWAIN wanted me to come to Tingley and start a bank. I told him I could not afford to quit the job. Soon after that Geo. HASS and family moved to Munt Ayr from Missouri. I got acquainted with Bert HASS and later he and I decided to take over the bank in Tingley. It was operated by a Robt. BENNIE. Chas. HAVER was working for him, and we organized the Tingley State Savings Bank. I presume HASS will be with you. He was recently in California and called on me for a short visit. I never paid but little attention to the bank as I had all confidence in both Bert HASS and Chas. HAVER, also Mr. Henry BOYD. I sold my stock in the bank after I sold ut the bank in Mount Ayr.

"I am going to Amarillo, Texas, to a SHELDON reunion on the 20th of June, but I will be thinking of Tingley and the people operating the bank. I am nearly 88 years old and I spent my younger days in and around Tingley, have traveled to every state in the union and some countries outside of the U. S. A., and I still think there is no place like Iowa and few, if any better counties of people better than Ringgold, and that Tingley township is the best township in the country.

"I am only living in California as the youngest girl we raised lives here and the winters are not so cold for us old people. I trust you will have a nice celebration and that the Tingley State Savings Bank will continue to take care of the good people of that territory for years to come."

Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, June 24, 1954, Page 1

On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary observance of the founding of the Tingley State Savings Bank, A. R. (Bert) HASS, one of the original directors and first cashier, was an honored guest, and a pleasant day it was for him as he met old friends and renewed acquaintances.

Mr. HASS, son of the late George HASS and a brother of Miss Eva HASS and Mrs. L. W. LAUGHLIN, of this city, is now president of the First National Bank of Chariton. At th age of 84 years, Mr. HASS enjoys good health, possesses a keen mind and remains active in business.

He was a pleasant caller at the Record-News office Saturday morning before going to Tingley and it was a pleasure to visit with him as he called to mind the business establishments and proprietors in Tingley in 1904.

He said business houses included four general stores, operated by George SLENTZ, Harry SPURRIER, H.E. TUTTLE and HEYER Brothers; two drug stores, owned by W.E. ELDER and T.P. ASBURY; two lumberyards by C.M. RICHARSON and G.W. RICHEY; furniture and undertaking by H.W. EDWARDS; a hardware store by Job NELSON; a hardware and tin shop by Tom FOSTER; a grain elevator by O.A. TALBOTT; a meat market by Frank HURST; a harness shop by J.C. MAHAFFEY; a restaurant and bakery by Lew LANHAM.

W.E. WATSABAUGH was publisher of the Tingley Vindicator, Maggie POLLOCK served as postmistress, E.J. CULP was the blacksmith, Roy McDOWELL and Perry BUCHANAN were draymen, and the community was served by Drs. M.F. HANNELLY, L. R. HINSDELL and H. WHISLER.

Town officials were Harry SPURRIER, mayor; John HAVER, treasurer; Clyde MAHAFFEY, clerk; Chas. McDOWELL, marshal, and Dr. HINSDELL, health officer. Councilmen were Robert BENNIE, Harry CARMICHAEL, H.W. EDWARDS, Chas. C. HAVER, Job NELSON and J.W. ASBURY.

Transcriptions by Sharon R. Becker, October of 2012