YOUR HISTORY: Farming, education, churches
January 07, 2010 · Jean M. Stoner

The following is some history of Linn Township, north of Mount Vernon:

The first cabin within the limits of Linn Township was built by John Mann, in Linn Grove, on what is known as Upper Big Creek, in February 1838. It is said, though disputed by some, that he was the first white settler. He built a small flouring mill, which was carried off by a flood in the spring of 1851, and he perished with his mill. The creek rose to a height of 20 feet in less than a half hour, and he was unable to escape. His body was found several days later.

Several families came in 1838 to Linn Township. Among them were Samuel C. Stewart, James and John Scott, Robert Osborn, Hiram Thomas and Isabel Safely (who died in 1875 at 103 years old). About this same time, George A. and Nancy Yeisley, who had 10 children, owned 538 acres of which 238 acres were covered with timber. This land was owned by the Yeisley descendants for over 145 years.

Besides farming, timber cutting, operating saw mills, grist mills, creamery and a sugar maple camp occupied people's time.

In this area, many town and rural people owned four to five acre plots to have a firewood supply. Sometimes, this was a livelihood for the family living in the little house often found on these tracts, plus working for the farmers. The timber was more abundant than in most prairie counties and of superior quality. Nearly one-third of the county was covered with groves of hickory, oak, walnut, sugar maple, elm, ash, etc., and a great share of this was in Linn Township.

Groups of Indians from the Tama area came each spring when the sugar maples were flowing for their year's supply of sugar.

Paralta, Linn Grove and Mt. Zion

Linn Township has no towns. Paralta, which lies one mile south of Springville, is the only town ever in Linn Township, and was at one time quite prosperous. It was on the Milwaukee Railroad, had a water tower to supply the trains, a depot, stock yards, stores, a Presbyterian Church and a school. The school was abandoned in 1920 upon the success of the vote for consolidation of the Springville School District. The church, having been abandoned, was torn down by George Rose, whose home had burned down because the fire truck couldn't get across the track when a train was stopped on it.

The Linn Grove Church, also Presbyterian, was built in 1842. It is still being used and is located about five miles north of Mount Vernon.

The Mt. Zion Church, a Methodist church located five miles northwest of Mount Vernon, was dedicated in 1864 and was active until 1911. It was revived in the early 1940s during World War II and gas rationing. It was moved in 1966 to a nearby farm and used for a machine shed.

Each of the churches had a cemetery near it. The first grave in the Mt. Zion Cemetery was 1851.

As late as 1911, there was regular attendance of close to 50 in Sunday School at Mt. Zion. Many Cornell student pastors preached their first sermons at the church, renting a team and buggy from the Mount Vernon livery stable to get to the church. One of these was my late uncle, Dr. Homer W. Minish.

About 1921, this community organized the Community Club. Meetings were held the last Friday night of the month. Each family paid 50 cents for dues. Revolving committees provided a program and refreshments following. This provided entertainment for the community.

Several rural schools

The following are names of rural schools in the township at one time or another: Foster Leigh, Beach, Williams, Leigh, Forest Edge, Norwood, Rosedale, Paralta, Glenwood, Hopewell and Grange Hall.

In August 1846, the school inspector of Linn Township defined boundaries of the school districts. The boundaries were clarified in December 1849. By 1850, schools were receiving their shares of monies from sale of land in Section 16, Linn Township, which had been set aside for that purpose by the State Legislature.

On April 19, 1852, for $1, 42 square rods in Section 19 (across the road from the present Dan Stoner home) was sold to Linn County by Foster W. Leigh and wife Sarah for a school house site. It was a brick house, and an 1875 map still showed a school in that location.

This was a long narrow school district going across four sections until 1890 or '91, when the district was divided in half and a frame school was built on land from Ben Beach. The school thereafter was called the Beach School. It is still standing and has been restored and used as a residence. It has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Grange Hall became the school in the east half of the former long district. It was built by the Grange, an organization of farmers who met for meetings and to order their machinery and things needed in their homes, before many roads or railroads were built. Someone would go by horses and wagon to Muscatine to get the ordered merchandise and bring it back to the Grange Hall, where it was picked up. This was about 1878.

Elections

The first voting was held at Grange Hall. A curtain was hung across one corner and a board fixed up for a shelf to write on. One got his ballot at the door, reported the party he was voting for, went inside, signed his name, marked his ballot, folded it and put it through a slot in a large, tin container.

At the end of voting time, by kerosene lamps, the ballots were opened and counted. This sometimes took all night, and the ballots were then taken by horse and cart to the then county seat in Marion.

Voting continued in this building after it became a school and until it closed. Elections were then held in the Mt. Zion church until it was moved, then Linn Grove Church, and then the Christian Bible Church on Mount Vernon Road.

Farming has always been the main occupation and the township is still prosperous and productive. Much of the timber lands are now bare and in cultivation. Consolidated school buses go by and, with the exception of the Linn Grove community, the rest of the township attends churches in the surrounding towns.