We have before us several copies of what was without doubt the first daily newspaper published in Mt. Pleasant and Henry County. On April 7, 1865 the “Mt. Pleasant Journal”, a weekly republican paper, issued Vol. 1, No. 1 of the “Daily Evening Journal”. Geo W. Edwards and O.H. Snyder were the editors and proprietors. The announcement was to the point:

“We present today the first issue of the “Daily Evening Journal”. The paper is printed as an experiment. If the people of Mt. Pleasant and Henry County want a daily paper, they can have one. The continuance of this sheet will depend upon the encouragement from the public. Particular attention will be given to local affairs. We will give full telegraphic reports up to the hour of going to press, being fourteen hours later news than you can get in any other paper.”

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The daily edition was probably started on account of the demand for news of the great Civil War coming to a close, and reports of the surrender of sections of the Confederate armies were filling the newspapers. The issue of the 10th of the new daily came out with news of the surrender of General Lee to General Grant, and the paper reflected the spirit of the town. On the 15th the new daily came cut with mourning rules, announcing the death of President Lincoln. We have perfectly preserved copies up to and including the issue of April 24. How much longer the daily venture continued is not stated, but probably not long. It was not until 1872 that the next daily paper was started, the “Daily Reporter”, which was the beginning of the present “Daily News”. From 1872 to this date, seventy-two years, a daily paper has been printed without interruption.

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In running down the fading columns of the little sheet, glowing with the inspiration of the closing days of the Civil War, our eye caught a familiar name, “Lieut. Baron H. Crane.” It was in the closing paragraph of a long report of Col. George A. Stone, commanding officer of the 25th Iowa Infantry, concerning the surrender of Columbia, S.C. and of the Third Brigade of the 15th Army Corps, of which he was in temporary command. At the close of the long official report to the headquarters, he paid tribute to the officers and men of the brigade, and particularly his staff officers of whom Lieut. Baron Crane was a member.

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Lieutenant Crane came with his parents to Mt. Pleasant in 1853 and started his career as a farmer. With the outbreak of the Civil War, however, he enlisted as a private in Co. B, 25th Iowa Inf, which was organized here in 1862. The young recruit had a rather lively service. He was in twenty-seven actual “shooting” engagements, was wounded at the Battle of Chattanooga, and was with his regiment at the surrender of Columbia. Discharged in June, 1865, farmed four years; and in 1869 moved to town and started a hardware store on the east side of the square, which without interruption has remained in the family to this day, same building, same name of Crane, same line of business. A real record. For some years, the Crane residence was on North Adams, about where the Methodist parsonage stands. About 1885, Baron Crane built the large residence on East Washington street, now owned by the college and the home of its president.

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The first Crane to arrive in Mt. Pleasant was Rev. Eber Crane, a Baptist minister, who reached here in 1853, and during most of his life here resided in the two-story brick residence on Lincoln, at Saunders, and where he lived until his death in 1884. Eber Crane was the first of five generations of permanent citizens of the community.
For many years, Mrs. Baron Crane treasured in her home, one of the battle flags of the 25th Iowa Regiment, but before her death, she turned it over to the State of Iowa, and it is now preserved among the other war flags in the rotunda of the State Capital at Des Moines.

Just one more reference to the Cranes. The next time you are in Des Moines, go to the soldiers’ monument on the capitol grounds and closely examine the bright childish faces peering from the bronze tablets just beneath the heroic bronze statues. If you are sharp-eyed, you will discover the very youthful features of R.K. Crane of this community. When Mrs. Harriet Ketcham of this city was developing the details of the monument, which she had been commissioned by the state to design, these bronze tablets were among them, and in her selection of subjects she picked, among others, R.K., whom she knew well.

The more we examined those small sheets on the first venture into the daily newspaper field in Mt. Pleasant, the more interesting material we recovered. Here is the short item:
“Our readers will remember a telegram which appeared a few days ago, announcing the blowing up of the U.S. steamer, “Milwaukee”, near Mobile. The vessel was commanded by James H. Gillis, son of the Hon. James L. Gillis of this city. Another brother was also an officer on the vessel. No details of the disaster have as yet been received, other than that she was blown up by a rebel torpedo.”

James H. Gillis, commander of the “Milwaukee”, rose to the rank of commodore, a rank equal to the present rank of Rear Admiral. His brother on the ship was Robert S. Gillis, for many years head of the old National State Bank, a navy paymaster. Two of Robert R. Gillis’ sons, James T. and Henry, live here in Mt. Pleasant.

The “Milwaukee” was a double turreted monitor of 1,700 tons, and was armed with two eleven-inch guns in each turret. She was laid down in 1862, was commissioned in 1864 and was lost in 1865, during operations in the Blakely River, one of the small streams flowing into Mobile Bay. With the United States entering the World War in 1918, the navy proceeded to build about 250 destroyers and one of them was named the “Gillis” presumably for Commodore Gillis. At the close of the war, the “Gillis”, with hundreds of other smaller vessels, was sold for scrap.

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“New Industry – U.L. Phillips has purchased the foundry in the western part of the city and will engage in the manufacture of agricultural implements extensively, as soon as the necessary arrangements can be made.”
The foundry referred to was known as the Mt. Pleasant Foundry and Machine Works, and was located on West Monroe about where the Gas plant stands. Several enterprises were established there, but did not live long. One of the ventures was a “salted” coal mine.

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Here is another item:
“Dr. Charles Elliott has sold his farm some three miles from this city for $10,000 cash. A Mr. William Litzenberg from Pennsylvania is the purchaser. The Doctor has already invested the proceeds of the sale in 7-30 U.S. Bonds.”
This was the well-known Litzenberg farm in Section 35, Marion Township. Dr. Elliott was president of Iowa Wesleyan at the time, but resigned the next year. The farm, which sold for $10,000 in 1865, consisted of 320 acres and sold at a trifle over $30.00 per acre. The purchaser was the father of William Litzenberg, well remembered by many of our people. Much of the old farm is now owned by Edith Hoaglin Chase.

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Another:
“Wanted - 10,000 pounds of broom corn cut when the seed is in milk and cured in prime order. Delivered in Mt. Pleasant in Sept., Oct, and November. Seed furnished gratis. F.E. Hobert.”

Mr. Hobert, for a number of years, operated a broom factory at the southeast corner of Henry and Jackson, the site now occupied by a dwelling. A block west, northwest corner of Henry and White, was formerly a tannery.

Union Hospital Wants Rags

“Keokuk, April 8, 1865. --- Editor Journal – We have at this time 1,000 sick and wounded here. We are out of rags and cannot get them and are compelled to tear up sheets to dress the wounds of our brave boys, who have been wounded in defense of our country. Cannot you call the attention of your Soldier’s Aid societies to this matter and send me some. By so doing, you will confer a great favor on our Iowa wounded boys. J. Todd, State Agent.”

Perhaps few of our readers know of, or at least have visited, the Keokuk National Cemetery, which is located just outside the Keokuk city limits. The federal cemetery is an enclosure of 2.75 acres. In the enclosure are buried 1,107 Union soldiers, of which number 45 are unknown. The cemetery is in an impressive spot, and well worth visiting, being but fifty miles south of Mount Pleasant.

Another National cemetery is located at Rock Island, that is the military reservation. Of course, now, no one is admitted. The cemetery proper has an area of just a little over seven acres, and therein are buried 805 Confederate soldiers, 46 of whom are unknown. During the Civil War, a military prison was maintained on the island for Confederate prisoners, and those interred in the cemetery died there. In Margaret Mitchel’s “Gone With the Wind,” the author devotes a page or so to the unsanitary conditions and the care given the southern soldiers at the Rock Island prison, and declared that the neglect and treatment was nearly as bad as at Andersonville.

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The New Depot: -
“Work has been commenced on the new depot by the B. & M. Ry. Co. It will be located three streets east of the present location, where the company has secured ample grounds for the accommodation of their business. We are told that they will build large, commodious and convenient passenger and freight houses. This is an improvement much needed.”

The first “depot” of the B. & M., now the C. B. & Q., was located between Main and Adams. In 1865, as noted above, the old first depot was taken down and the new one erected about where the Farmer’s Union warehouse stands. The present freight house was built then. Later, the passenger station was moved back to Main Street, where it stood for many years. When the present station was built, the old passenger depot was sold, and moved to the southeast corner of Adams and Saunders, and turned into Mason’s Soft Drink factory. It is now a residence property, but has been in no ways changed on the exterior. The freight house remains as it was built in 1865.

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Mourning for the dead Lincoln. ---
“The companies under our command are hereby ordered, in obedience to the command of General Baker, to wear suitable badges of mourning on the left arm for the term of thirty days from this date. P. Jericho, S.D. Swan, G.C. Van Allen.

P. Jericho was an uncle of John H. and William Jericho of this city and ran a harness shop for some years on West Monroe about where the McLeran store now stands. G.C. Van Allen was the father of A.M. Van Allen, and who established the abstract business, which later was taken over by his son, and in which his grandson, George Van Allen is actively engaged now.

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The bitterness of war is expressed tragically by the following editorial appearing in the “Daily Journal” of April 20th, 1865. Lee had surrendered, the fighting was over, aside from some isolated areas and President Lincoln had been assassinated.

“It is stated that the rebel general, Lee, and staff, on their entrance into Richmond, after the surrender, were received with cheers from the populace, and that even some Union officers raised their hat to the old rebel. We hope for the good name of the brave men who have after four years of war, succeeded in humbling the armies of rebellion, that the latter is not true. General Lee is a traitor to his country and richly deserves hanging.”

The years have softened the anguish of those days, and General Lee is now held in the deepest respect in the hearts of a united nation. If any of our readers pass through Lexington, Ky., by all means stop and visit the Washington and Lee university and in particular stand before the tomb of the great soldier and educator. Had Lincoln lived, he and Lee would have done a great service for the stricken southland.

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Here are several items from the “local” columns of the “Daily Journal” of 1865---
“Wanted --- 400 cords of hard wood at the Iowa State Hospital for the Insane, for which the highest price in cash will be paid.”
“Strike ---Three thousand workmen at the Brooklyn navy yards are on strike, owing to a reduction of fifty cents per day in their wages.”

“Sir Fredrick Bruce, the new British minister to the United States, arrived at Washington on Saturday night. He arrived just in time to send a piece of great news to his government, which some members of that government will not relish at all.”

“The “Sisters” will meet with Miss Myra Bird tomorrow, Thursday, April 13th, in the afternoon.”
“Lost --- A pocketbook containing $58.00 in money and a small bunch of hair.”
“Notice --- All persons liable to the federal tax on income, licenses, carriages, pianos, melodeons, gold watches, etc., are required to report to me at my office in Union block, Mt. Pleasant, on or before the first day of May next, after which time those failing to report will be liable to penalties as prescribed by law. C.F. Devol, Ass’t U.S. Assessor.”

“We learn that a sugar refinery will be put in operation in Mt. Pleasant shortly. The enterprise is in good hands and will be sure to go ahead.” (Ed But it didn’t.)

("Mt. Pleasant News", January 17, 1944, page 2)

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Resource provided by Henry County Heritage Trust, Mount Pleasant, Iowa; transcription done by Liam Christensen, University of Northern Iowa Public History Field Experience Class, Spring 2025.

Contributed to Henry County IAGenWeb March 2025.