thick, ten inches wide and four feet long, held in place by stone anchored poles.

The chimney was a 'cat and clay' arrangement of sticks and thick clay in which the fire must not be too hot even though the kettle that cooked and baked must be swung.

The hinges for the pegged door and the latch that locked from the inside also were of wood with a hole through the first plank for the latch string of buck skin to hang out.

The family furnishings were all home made even to the home spun clothing. But the 9 lb. dress of the young woman of that day would be sneered' at by the present girl of sixteen of today who has plenty on if it weighs 6 1/2 ounces...".

Mr. Nicholson's description of early family life in a small log cabin is worthy of note. "A log house, 12 X 13', with no attic, was kitchen, living room, bed room and pantry combined. A small lean-to and loft were later additions, in these surroundings, seven children, all robust and healthy, were reared until better accomodations could be afforded. Not only the family, but also visitors were entertained, and strangers sheltered within its walls. Those were the days of hoop skirts. Imagine, if you can, the neighborhood ladies gathered together for an afternoon visit with their large families of this era. The roof was protected by hewed oaken shingles that shed rain quite well, but when a blizzard raged, much snow sifted through the chinks. Our urchin brothers and sisters, upon arising in early morning, would have to seek a place to plant their bare feet among the tiny snowbanks upon the floor."

THE FOUNDING OF OSSIAN

In 1855, 'the first town lots were platted and registered at the county court house and the Village of Ossian was born. The original site consisted of three blocks containing 14 lots. East street, a portion of present Edith Becker Ave., was the eastern section line of the Porter property. The lots measured 66 feet frontage and 132 feet in depth. We have succeeded in identifying the original buyers of 13 lots. We theorize that Porter's own house was on lot 8, block 1, and he retained ownership of lot 7 as well. Erick Anderson was the first, and largest, landowner in the village. He bought the entire block 3, paying $100 for these five lots on Feb. 7, 1856. Lots 1 & 2 of block one became his property in May of 1857. Ole A. Anderson paid $25 for lot 5 on "the same date. Milton Weaver purchased lots 3 & 4 for the sum of $35 in July of 1858, and Calvin P. Butler became the owner of lot 6 in 1857- But it was 1864 before lot 8 was sold to Mary Meyers. She paid $50, but resold her property to Hugh Owens the next year, losing $17 on the transaction.

In the state census of 1856, we find Military township recording: 131 farmers, 16 laborers, 1 merchant, 2 traders, 1 physician, 1 sawyer and 1 tailor. We can identify the sawyer as Andrew Beadle; the merchant, Erick Anderson; physician, D. F. Haskel; traders, John P. Meyers and N. G. Bennett; and the tailor was Jens Christofferson.

Anton Gaertner came north up the Mississippi river in I856. He managed the Gaertner Hotel for a short period until the building burned to the ground. Then, he moved to Old Mission, in the Festina area, and eventually built a brewery, perhaps the first in northeastern Iowa. Later Mr. Gaertner is credited with construction the first brick structure in Ossian. It became a saloon and hotel.

Caleb Brooks is believed to have built the first hotel of consequence. It was known throughout the years as, 'The Stone House', 'The Old Brooks Hotel', and in its heyday as 'The International House'. This building was constructed between 1857 and 1859. Caleb purchased the site from Abriel on Jan. 1, 1857, prior to dedication of his first addition to the town. The price would seem to indicate that there was a structure on this property at the time. The site of the Brooks Hotel is at present the Walter Linderbaum residence.

Ward Allen, in his historical article for the centennial issue of the Bee,