We have before us a little four-page pamphlet entitled, “The Old Log Cabin.” It is dated August 9, 1884, and was printed in the job shop of J.D. Howard and advertised the approaching annual meeting of the Pioneers and Old Settlers Association. Mr. Howard was the father of Mrs. I.P. Van Cise of this city. The date of the meeting, 1884, carries us back forty-nine years, and forty-nine years after the first settler built his cabin in this city. So, it is standing on middle ground in local history. Many are here who attended, no doubt, that celebration in 1884. There was a procession about the square, led by the Silver Cornet band. Presley Saunders, who was the first settler presided. For him has been named Saunder’s Grove, Saunder’s School, and Saunders Street, and down in the old city cemetery is the well-known Saunder’s Circle, where sleep the old pioneer surrounded by many of his relatives.

The prayer was offered by Rev. J.B. Howland, and Hon. Alvin Saunders, who, by the way, was the first postmaster of Mt. Pleasant, made the big speech of the day. Then a big dinner in the park and later more program with Prof. T.S. Parvin making the address. There was music by the band and singing by “Barnes & Forbes Singing School.”

Reference is made to the old log cabin, which stood in the southeast corner of the park. Many of us remember the old cabin, for about it gathered annually for many years, the Pioneers and the Old Settlers for their annual meeting. One night the cabin was secretly taken down by a group of men, and in the morning not a thing was left of it. Every stick and stone had been hauled off. There was never an explanation of the act, but it aroused great indignation, and from that day to this there have been no meetings of the Old Settlers.

The cabin was really historic. The cabin was in fact a composite of a number of historic cabins. Most of the timbers were cut and hewed into shape by Robertson Morris and erected about 1850 into a cabin four miles west of town on what is known as the old Bonnifield farm. Until recently the foundation of the chimney was still to be seen. There were also in the cabin, timbers from the first cabin ever built in the neighborhood, that of James Dawson, who, in 1834 built his cabin, the first on the Mt. Pleasant prairies, by the famous spring west of town on the farm now owned by Senator W.B. Seeley. Presley Saunders boarded with Dawson while he was building his own log cabin down in the grove, the site of which is now marked with a tablet.

It is interesting to note the advertisements in the pamphlet. We note the announcement of H.N. Crane, who was in the jewelry business on the north side of the square. His nephew, F.B. Crane, is his successor and at the same location. A.P. Mason was running a grocery store about where Green’s grocery is now located, and N.B. Andrews had his China store where Gilliland’s grocery now stands. What a collection of glass and earthenware, china and what not. The Leisenring picture galleries were on the north side and who of us, the old timers, will forget those galleries, headquarters for all things social or artistic. S.W. Garvin had a dry goods store about where the Nifti-Thrift is on the North Side and G.W.S. Allen had a clothing store where Spurgeon has his ready- to-wear department. Dr. J.O. Ball, now living in Seattle, had his dental rooms on the second floor over what is now the Kandy Kitchen. He announced that he “inserted artificial teeth, saved natural teeth by filling, and caused no pain in extracting teeth with vitalized air.” J.W. Satterthwait was running a drug store where J.H. Jericho & Co. are located, down on the South Side of the Square. “The Boss” photo gallery was operated by a man named Stowe. Theo. Foote was running a butcher shop at 27 No. Jefferson St., and P.T. Twinting announced that he was selling high grade supplies at his store were Ely & Son now engage in the same business. G.H. Batchelder was also in the grocery business on North Jefferson and Cozier and Tiffany were in business on the South Side where Tomlinson is now established. Dr. Beers was operating a dental parlor in the rooms now used by Dr. Westfall. J.H. Mills was advertising his famous teas and coffees. McAdam brothers announced photographing work at their place on the third story of Spahr’s new block on the North Side of the square. Arnold & Lyon advertised their own line of drugs which they manufactured at their place of business on North Jefferson St. On the West Side was the old established dry goods house of “Saunders.” George C. Van Allen was operating his abstract office about where his son, A.M. Van Allen is conducting the same business. And last but not least, C.H. Peters was announcing that he had the best horses and buggies in the county. The Peters livery barn was a big frame structure and stood on the ground now occupied by the Sinclair service station at the southwest corner of the square. Old college students will remember the proprietor and his high steppers. Many a proposal was popped in one of his buggies. The barn was destroyed by fire one night and the ground was vacant for many years, until taken over by the oil company.

Just to show how jokes never grow old we noted this one, which appeared in the humorous column of the pamphlet. “A Connecticut girl went back on her lover because he was so bow legged, she could not sit on his lap.” The same story was told out at the Pleasant Lawn Literary recently, but the habitat changed from Connecticut to Hickory Grove.

When we came to this town forty years ago, the streets were lighted with gas jets. There was not an electric light in town. There was not a telephone in town, there was not a foot of paving, not a rod of sewer, not a mile of water mains. Not an automobile, not even a bicycle, not even a rubber-tired buggy. The more pretentious homes were lighted with gas and most of the stores. The rest burned good old kerosene. There was not a concrete sidewalk in town, and the people who drove to town hitched their horses at the public hitch rack which surrounded the square. Instead of the garage and filling station, there was the livery stable, and the baiting barn, the horse shoeing and wagon shops, the harness shop. All implement houses carried a full line of wagons, buggies, carriages, sulkies and other horse drawn vehicles. I can still remember John L. Hughes and his spanking teams as he skillfully tooled them through traffic about the square and causing as much wonder and adoration as a Rolls Royce would cause today. The proudest day of our family life was that time when we felt that we could afford a horse and buggy. We bought a two seated surrey beautifully painted and with handsome fringe around the top and side curtains for wet weather. Then we negotiated for a horse which was adequate and a shiney (sic) harness with nickle (sic) adornments and a snappy whip in the dash. And one evening after we got harnessed up and the family loaded in, we made a bee line for the square to show the world that we were stepping up some in the social scale. What good times we had with that outfit, what wonderful excursions out into the country, down to the creek or the river with the well filled baskets of food. There isn’t an automobile built that would today give us the honest enjoyment and real fun and satisfaction which we derived out of the horse and surrey.

Speaking about the livery stables, that was a big industry in those days. There was the Peters stables on the southwest corner of the square, the big stable which stood where the wreck of the high school stands. J.L. Goe & Sons where C.B. still operates his auto service. The Ross livery stables where Geo. Ross is located, and the Dugdale stables where McCullough has his motor transfer concern. This stable stands and looks just as it did in the old days, one of the few that is left. A large roomy, frame structure, with long rows of stalls and shed room for equipment. The interior is changed a good deal but for a typical livery stable of the old days the old Dugdale stable remains as an honest picture.

The livery stables in those days bid strong for the college trade. The students came here to stay and did not go home on weekends. They were here from term to term. There were no picture houses in those days and little of diversion, but going to the station when the trains came in, gathering at the picture galleries, picnics and buggy riding. Why, some of those livery stable horses could start out and make the rounds of every Lover’s Lane within seven miles of town and never touch of line or whip to make the trip with safety and comfort. We had a one-armed boy in school who would take his girl out riding and the horse was so well trained that he would go down to Oakland Mills, turn off down the river road to Faulkner’s Ferry and then back home, and the boy would not be obliged to let loose of his girl from the time he got off the square until he got back. That was courting in comfort. Just think of the progress a college student could make in those days with two arms at his disposal.

(“Mt. Pleasant News”, Thursday, January 26, 1933, 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.