CHAPTER XXXIII

MANCHESTER

The county seat of Delaware County is beautifully situated on the Maquoketa River, which affords valuable water power and also lends its placid surface to the lovers of aquatic sports. The town is essentially a charming, well built, cleanly kept residence place, having a population of about three thousand. It is an important station on the Illinois Central Railroad and is almost equadistant from Chicago and Omaha.

When the town was laid out the name chosen by which it should be called was Burrington, for the reason that part of the site had been donated by Levings Burrington, which he had secured from Rev. B. M. Amsden. The history of the land composing the original confines of Burrington (Manchester) follows:

As already mentioned, a Norwegian, named Steiner Iverson, was the first person to settle here, coming to the place in the spring of 1850 and locating the southwest quarter of section 32, the northwest quarter of the northeast quarter of section 32, the north half of the northwest quarter of section 33, and the northwest quarter of the northeast quarter of section 33. On this land Iverson built a cabin-on the west side of the river-and "broke" a patch of ground. Removing to the east side, he put up a cabin and lived there a few months. But he was far from contented with the surroundings and when Allen Love approached him on the 17th day of September, 1852, he readily sold his claim to Love and left the county; Love then moved his family into the cabin vacated by the Norwegian. At this time the new tenant of the pioneer hut had for his nearest neighbors the Fowlers, Henry Baker and Clement Coffin on the west, the Shaffers on the east, and the Joel Baileys on the southeast.

April 19, 1853, Ozias P. Reeves bought of John C. Higginson the southeast quarter of the southeast quarter of section 29, and the northeast quarter of the northeast quarter of section 32. On this land he built a temporary "shack" and became the first actual settler on land that eventually was part of Manchester; the house stood on the northeast corner of Fayette and Tama streets. It was soon abandoned for a better residence Mr. Reeves built to the east. June 29, 1853, Mr. Reeves added to his holdings in this vicinity by entering the southeast quarter of the southwest quarter of section 28, and through a transfer made by his father, Manasseh Reeves, acquired the southeast quarter of the southwest quarter and the southwest quarter of the southeast quarter of section 29, the northeast quarter of the southwest quarter and the north half of the southeast quarter of section 29, that had been entered by George Acers in 1850. On April 1, 1854, O. P. Reeves conveyed by deed to Rev. B. M. Amsden the northeast quarter of the northeast quarter of section 32, consisting of forty acres, and a three-acre tract on the southeast corner of section 29.

Now comes one James Dyer, who established the flourishing town on the east bearing his name in Dubuque County. He was a man of means, great energy, and had been one of the salient figures in promoting the building of the Dubuque & Pacific Railroad. In company of William Chesterman, Dyer visited Acersville, in the fall of 1854, and made overtures to John Acers, which, if acquiesced in, would have made Delaware Center a station on the line of the proposed railroad. But Acers and his visitors failed to agree. He was selfassured that the road would be built into his town any way, and fixed a large price for a half interest in the town site of Delaware Center (near Quaker Mill). This was refused and Dyer and Chesterman then visited Reeves and Burrington, who were more compliant and readily entered into the scheme proposed by their visitors to lay out a town on their holdings. Thereupon Reeves put in a tract of land, as did also Burrington. On December 8, 1854, Allen Love deeded to Dyer and Chesterman the northwest quarter of the northeast quarter of section 32, the north half of the northwest quarter of section 32 and the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter of section 29. December 21, following. O. P. Reeves deeded to the same persons part of the south half of the southeast quarter of section 29, and on the same day L. Burrington conveyed to Dyer the north half of the northeast quarter of the northeast quarter of section 32.

The original Town of Burrington was laid out on the south half of the southeast quarter of section 29, and the north half of the northeast quarter of section 32. A part of the surveying was done by I. N. Higbee in the fall of 1854, and the work completed in the following spring. The proprietors were James Dyer and O. P. Reeves.

While on a visit to their new enterprise, in December, 1854, Judge Dyer and William Chesterman had in their company Francis Bethell. While here Bethell selected two lots-Nos. 142 and 143, situate on the northwest corner of Main and Franklin streets. For one of these lots he paid $25; the other was donated, with the proviso that a hotel should be built on the two, and in 1855 the first Clarence House was built on the corner mentioned. Other lots were disposed of in this way, which acted as an inducement to settlers to locate in the town and build.

In the winter of 1854-5 Judge Dyer put up a building on the southwest corner of Main and Franklin streets. As soon as completed it was stocked with general merchandise and placed in charge of George E. Toogood and W. H. Board.

Associating himself with Thomas Toogood, Francis Bethell, in March, 1855, began the erection of a building on his corner lots. The structure was a frame. 60 by 44 feet and 21 stories. In the fall of the year Toogood & Bethell opened the house as the Clarence Hotel. This primitive hostelry had in connection a livery stable, the first in Manchester, and the two enterprises were generously favored by the public. In 1875, the present three-story brick hotel building replaced the old one, at a cost of $20,000. Recently, the property was purchased by Howard T. Smith, who conducts it as Manchester's first class hotel. He is a son of Henry C. Smith, born in Richland Township in 1858; the latter a son of W. B. Smith, a pioneer.

John Brownell settled where Iverson built his first cabin, on the west side of the river, about 1853. About a mile northwest of him George Acers had

settled in 1851. Soon after Allen Love arrived Acers sold his property to Levings Burrington, who took up his residence there.

In the spring of 1855 A. R. Loomis, who had turned his back on Delaware Center, built a store on part of lot 147, on the south side of Main, east of Franklin Street, and moved his stock of goods into it. The building remained standing until it gave way in 1877 to the Riddell brick business structure. About the time Loomis established himself in business here he also erected a house on the south side of Fayette Street near Bremer.

Edson Merrill put up a house in 1855 near the Loomis home, and Marshall Hancock built on the same street during the summer.

The first physician to locate in Manchester was Dr. Joseph W. Robbins, who came here in May, 1855. During that summer Dr. Samuel L. Hamlet moved his house from Delaware to Manchester and placed it on the northeast corner of Fayette and Bremer streets. Doctor Hamlet was the second physician in the village.

Dyer and Chesterman, founders of the town, completed a dam across the Maquoketa, about ten yards above the present one at the bridge, in August, 1855, building a bridge over it, the supporting timbers of which were imbedded in the masonry of the dam. The dam was made of small stones laid in cement, but gave way a couple years afterward. In 1856 a sawmill was partially built here under the direction of William Chesterman, but the work was never completed, although some of the machinery had been placed.

The first child born in Manchester was Marvin Reeves, who came into the world in 1855. The first death was that of Charles E. Reeves, a son of O. P. Reeves, who died July 9, 1855, at the age of three years.

The voting place at the general election of August 6, 1855, was at A. R. Loomis' store. H. L. Ryan, Watson Roe and Levi Washburn were the judges, and J. C. Skinner and Allen Mead, clerks. The poll book of the election showed the names of forty-five electors, namely: Albert Thompson, O. P. Reeves, James Penrod, Sidney S. Lawrence, A. R. Loomis, Watson Roe, Allen Mead, Levi Washburn, Henry Ryan, J. C. Skinner, S. L. Hamlet, Joseph Strawson, Frank Adle, Samuel Sweet, Elijah Cheney, Marshal Hancock, Reuben Davis, Charles Trenchard, William Davis, Hiram Caster, Thomas Brown, Andrew Scribner, William McIntosh, Allen Love, Samuel Scribner, Milton E. Mead, J. D. Scott, George Acers, Benjamin F. Smith, Albert Raymond, Lyman Wright, Henry Acers, Thomas Toogood, W. H. Board, George W. Boyd, John Brownell, L. Burrington, John H. Taber, Gideon C. Hempstead, John Hempstead, J. C. Hosier, Levi Beyhmer, George E. Toogood, Vernon Burrington, John Acers and Frank Bethell.

In the spring of 1856 a petition was sent to Washington, asking for the establishment of a postoffice at Burrington. The authorities refused the name but not the office and on the suggestion of Judge Dyer the office was called Manchester, and a commission as postmaster was issued to O. P. Reeves.

About the year 1856 the Iowa Land Company began operations and to this corporation the town sites of Dyersville and Burrington were sold. Work had progressed on the construction of the Dubuque & Pacific (Illinois) Railroad in 1855 and completed from Dubuque to Dyersville in December, 1856. During the summer of the latter year the chief engineer of the road surveyed two lines

Vol. I -22

for its extension across Delaware County. The cheapest route in view ran by way of Delaware Center and Coffin's Grove; the other passed just south of Burrington. Over the latter course it was determined the cost would exceed the other by $13,000. The Iowa Land Company promised to pay this excess and thus it was that Manchester secured the road and eventually the county seat. The coming of the railroad made a great difference in the hopes and prospects of the people of Manchester and the town took on vigorous strides toward reaching its ambitions.

In the spring of 1856, H. M. and E. R. Congar started from Whitewater, Wisconsin, with a team and buggy, to look up a location for their future activities. They arrived at Burrington on Sunday morning and II. M. Congar, upon strolling out to his dinner, saw a man sitting in front of one of the two stores. He stopped to converse with him and told of his mission to the West; that he was looking for a good location to open a general store. Congar's new acquaintance proved to be A. R. Loomis, one of Burrington's merchants, and that gentleman suggested that Congar should buy him out, as he was not a dry-goods man and wanted to dispose of his stock of goods. The next day found the firm name over the Loomis store changed to Congar Brothers, as a sale had been consummated. Adolphus M. Sherwood had lived at Whitewater and came here for the purpose, in 1856, of clerking for the Congars and entered their employ in that capacity. In 1857, A. R. Loomis traded a farm in Illinois for a stock of hardware which he shipped to Burrington. This he placed in his old store and formed a partnership with the Congar brothers, the firm name changing to Loomis & Congar Brothers. The building then occupied by the new firm stood on the lot now occupied by the Drew Dry Goods Store, on Main Street, and was a 1-story frame, the upper story of which was used for sleeping rooms and storage of goods.

In 1857 George Toogood and William Board erected a building on the lot next east of Congars', and on the lot east of Toogood's, I. P. Adams and I. U. Butler put up a building. They were near the corner of Main and Franklin streets, and were two-story frame structures. The Judge Dyer Building, southwest corner of Main and Franklin, has had several alterations, but the solid oak timbers are still intact and doing duty as of yore. The Snodgress Clothing Company occupies this old land mark.

The Hulbert Building was erected in 1857 and stood on the west side of Franklin Street on the site of the present Lewis Jewelry Store. Hulbert kept a general store.

The next business building was erected by C. II. Carpenter, in 1857. This is a two-story brick structure, put up for mercantile and office purposes. It stands on the corner south of Doctor Bradley's office and is now occupied by Mrs. Marguerite Barr, widow of James. There also was a small hall over this building.

The first livery stable in Manchester was run by Toogood & Bethell in connection with the Clarence Hotel. Thomas Robinson bought the business in the '50s and he was the first liveryman, so-called, in the town.

What is now the old Nix House was built by the Baldwins in 1857 and called the Baldwin House.