COMPANY E ARMORY

For a long time Centerville's military organization strongly felt the need of a hall specially constructed for its purposes and in the summer of 1912 stock was issued by the company and bought by the individual members to the extent of $12,000, which was expended on a brick building, erected in the fall on East Jackson street, just off the public square. The structure is two stories in height, has a frontage of 60 feet on Jackson street, and a depth of 100 feet. The second story extends 20 feet. The drill room is 60 x 80 feet. Armory E was built to suit the desires and needs of a military organization. In connection with the drill room there are locker rooms, toilet rooms, quartermaster's room, all on the first floor. In the upper story are club room and officers' quarters. In the basement are the target range and shower baths.

CHAPTER X

THE LOG CABIN WAS THE PALACE OF THE PIONEER-CHINKED LOGS COVERED WITH CLAPBOARDS RIFLE AND SPINNING WHEEL ALMOST ANYTHING WAS A BEDROOM COOKING WAS PRIMITIVE FOR SHARP APPETITES-WELCOME FOR THE WAYFARER-PRAIRIE FIRES AND WOLF HUNTS-AMUSEMENTS FOR THE FRONTIER PEOPLE WERE NOT LACKING WHAT UNREMITTING TOIL HAS ACCOMPLISHED OLD SETTLERS' ASSOCIATION.

PIONEER LIFE

Most of the early settlers of Iowa came from older states, as Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio, where their prospects for even a competency were very poor. They found those states good-to emigrate from. Their entire stock of furniture, implements and family necessities were easily stored in one wagon, and sometimes a cart was their only vehicle.

THE LOG CABIN

be seen.

After arriving and selecting a suitable location, the next thing to do was to build a log cabin, a description of which may be interesting to many of the younger readers, as in some sections these old time structures are no more to Trees of uniform size were chosen and cut into logs of the desired length, generally twelve by fifteen feet, and hauled to the spot selected for the future dwelling. On the appointed day the few neighbors who were available would assemble and have a "house-raising." Each end of every log was saddled and notched so that they would lie as close down as possible; the next day the proprietor would proceed to "chink" and "daub" the cabin, to keep out the rain, wind and cold. The house had to be redaubed every fall, as the rains of the intervening time would wash out the greater part of the mortar. The usual height of the house was seven or eight feet. The gables were formed by shorten-. ing the logs gradually at each end of the building near the top. The roof was made by laying very straight small logs or stout poles suitable distances apart, and on these were laid the clapboards, somewhat like shingling, generally about two and a half feet to the weather. These clapboards were fastened to their place by "weight poles" corresponding in place with the joists just described, and these again were held in their place by "runs" or "knees" which were chunks of wood about eighteen or twenty inches long fitted between them near the ends. Clapboards were made from the nicest oaks in the vicinity, by chopping or sawing them into four foot blocks and riving these with a frow, which was a

simple blade fixed at right angles to its handles. This was driven into the blocks of wood by a mallet. As the frow was wrenched down through the wood, the latter was turned alternately over from side to side, one end being held by a forked piece of timber.

The chimney to the western pioneer's cabin was made by leaving in the original building a large open place in one wall, or by cutting one after the structure was up, and by building on the outside from the ground up, a stone column, or column of sticks and mud, the sticks being laid up cob house fashion. The fireplace thus made was often large enough to receive fire wood six to eight feet long. Sometimes this wood, especially the "back-log," would be nearly as large as a saw log. The more rapidly the pioneer could burn up the wood in his vicinity the sooner he had his little farm cleared and ready for cultivation. For a window, a piece about two feet long was cut out of one of the wall logs, and the hole closed, sometimes by glass, but generally with greased paper. Even greased deer hide was sometimes used. A doorway was cut through one of the walls if a saw was to be had, otherwise the door would be left by shortened logs in the original building. The door was made by pinning clapboards to two or three wood bars and was hung upon wooden hinges. A wooden latch, with catch, then finished the door, the latch being raised by any one on the outside by pulling a leather string. For security at night this latch string was drawn in, but for friends and neighbors, and even strangers, the "latch string was always hanging out," as a welcome. In the interior over the fireplace would be a shelf, called the "mantel," on which stood the candlestick or lamp, some cooking and tableware, possibly an old clock, and other articles. In the fireplace would be the crane, sometimes of iron, sometimes of wood. On it the pots were hung for cooking. Over the door, in forked cleats, hung the ever trustful rifle and powder horn. In one corner stood the larger bed for the "old folks," and under it the trundle bed for the children. In another stood the old fashioned spinning wheel, with a smaller one by its side, in another the heavy table, the only table, of course, there was in the house. In the remaining corner was a rude cupboard holding the table ware, which consisted of a few cups and saucers and blue edged plates standing singly on their edges against the back, to make the display of table furniture more conspicuous, while around the room were scattered a few splint bottom or Windsor chairs, and two or three stools. These simple cabins were inhabited by a kind and true hearted people. They were strangers to mock modesty and the traveler seeking lodging for the night, or desirous of spending a few days in the community, if willing to accept the rude offering, was always welcome, although how they were disposed of at night the reader might not easily imagine, for, as described, a single room was made to answer for the kitchen, dining room, sitting-room, bedroom and parlor, and many families consisted of six or eight members.

SLEEPING ACCOMMODATIONS

The bed was very often made by fixing a post in the floor about six feet from one wall and four feet from the adjoining wall, and fastening a stick to this post about two feet above the floor on each of two sides, so that the other end of each of the two sticks could be fastened in the opposite wall. Clapboards

were laid across these, and thus the bed made more complete. Guests were given this bed, while the family disposed of themselves in another corner of the room, or in the "loft." When several guests were on hand at once they were sometimes kept over night in the following manner: When bedtime came, the men were requested to step out of doors, while the women spread out a broad bed upon the midfloor and put themselves to bed in the center. The signal was given and the men came in and each took his place in bed next his own wife, and the single men outside beyond them again.

COOKING

To witness the various processes of cooking in those days would alike surprise and amuse those who have grown up since cooking stoves and ranges came into use. Kettles were hung over the large fire, suspended with pot hooks, iron or wooden, on the crane, or on poles, one end of which would rest upon a chain. The long handled frying pan was used for cooking meat. It was either held over the blaze by hand or set down upon coals drawn out upon the hearth. This pan was also used for baking pancakes, also called "flap-jacks," batter cakes, etc. A better article for this, however, was the cast iron spider, or Dutch skillet. The best thing for baking bread those days, and possibly even in these latter days, was the flat bottomed bake kettle, of greater depth, with closely fitting cast iron cover, and commonly known as the Dutch oven. over and under it bread and biscuit would quickly and nicely bake. Turkey and spare-ribs were sometimes roasted before the fire, suspended by a string, a dish being placed underneath to catch the drippings.

With coals

Hominy and samp were very much used. The hominy, however, was generally hulled corn-boiled corn, from which the hull or bran had been taken by hot lye, hence sometimes called "lye hominy." True hominy and samp were made of pounded corn. A popular method of making this, as well as real meal for bread, was to cut or burn a large hole in the top of a huge stump in the shape of a mortar and pounding the corn in this by a maul or beetle suspended by a swing pole like a well sweep. This and the well sweep consisted of a pole twenty to thirty feet long fixed in an upright fork so that it could be worked "teeter" fashion. It was a rapid and simple way of drawing water. When the samp was sufficiently pounded it was taken out, the bran floated off, and the delicious grain boiled like rice.

The chief articles of diet in an early day were corn bread, hominy or samp, venison, pork, honey, pumpkin (dried pumpkin for more than half the year), turkey, prairie chicken, squirrel and some other game, with a few additional vegetables a portion of the year. Wheat bread, tea, coffee and fruit were luxuries not to be indulged in except on special occasions, as when visitors were present.

WOMEN'S WORK

Besides cooking in the manner described, the women had many other arduous duties to perform, one of the chief of which was spinning. The "big wheel" was used for spinning yarn and the "little wheel" for spinning flax. These stringed instruments furnished the principal music of the family, and were

operated by our mothers and grandmothers with great skill, attained without pecuniary expense, and with far less practice than is necessary for the girls of our period to acquire a skilful use of their costly and elegant instruments. But those wheels, indispensable many years ago, are all now superseded by the mighty factories which overspread the country, furnishing cloth of all kinds at an expense ten times less than would be incurred now by the old system.

The loom was not less necessary than the wheel, though they were not needed in so great numbers. Not every house had a loom, one loom having a capacity for the needs of several families. Settlers, having in spite of the wolves succeeded in raising sheep, commenced the manufacture of woolen cloth. Wool was carded and made into rolls by hand cards and the rolls were spun on the "big wheel." We still occasionally find in the house of old settlers a wheel of this kind, sometimes used for spinning and twisting stocking yarn. They are turned with the hand and with such velocity that it will run itself while the nimble worker, by her backward step, draws out and twists her thread nearly the whole length of the cabin. A common article woven on the loom was linsey, or linsey woolsey, the chain being linen and the filling woolen. This cloth was used for dresses for the women and girls. Nearly all the clothes worn by the men were also home made. Rarely was a farmer or his son seen in a coat made of any other. If occasionally a young man appeared in a suit of "boughten" clothes, he was suspected of having gotten it for a particular occasion, which occurs in the life of nearly every young man.

HOSPITALITY

The traveler always found a welcome at the pioneer's cabin. It was never full. Although there might already be a guest for every puncheon, there was still "room for one more," and a wider circle would be made for the newcomer at the big fire. If the stranger was in search of land, he was doubly welcome and his host would volunteer to show him all the "first-rate claims in this neck of the woods," going with him for days, showing the corners and advantages of every "congress tract" within a dozen miles of his own cabin.

To his neighbors the pioneer was equally liberal. If a deer was killed, the choicest bits were sent to his nearest neighbor, a half dozen miles away perhaps. When a "shoat" was butchered, the same custom prevailed. If a newcomer came in too late for "cropping." the neighbors would supply his table with just the same luxuries they themselves enjoyed, and in as liberal quantity, until a crop could be raised. When a newcomer had located his claim, the neighbors for miles around would assemble at the site of the newcomer's proposed cabin and aid him in "gettin'" it up. One party with axes would cut down the trees and hew the logs, another with teams would haul the logs to the ground, another party would "raise" the cabin, while several of the old men would "rive the clapboards" for the roof. By night the little forest domicile would be up and ready for a "house warming," which was the dedicatory occupation of the house. when music, dancing and festivity would be enjoyed at full height. The next day the newcomer would be as well situated as his neighbor.

An instance of primitive hospitable manners will be in place here. A traveling Methodist preacher arrived in a distant neighborhood to fill an appointment.