SETTLEMENT ERA: 1851-1865

The first settlement in the vicinity of Iowa Falls was made in 1851 by Benjamin I. Talbott. 1 The following year two families from Pleasant Plain (Jefferson County), Iowa, Nathan Townsend and John Caldwell, settled near-by. Talbott's claim included the land where the present town is located as well as the land east of Rock Run and southeast of the depot. He built a mill and planned to lay out a town on the site of Iowa Falls and call it Rocksylvania. A number of people said the name was too difficult to pronounce and spell. Dr. J. F. Simonds arrived in 1853, and suggested naming the town Iowa Falls because just above Elk run the bed of the river was solid rock with a ripple or fall of two feet in about ten rods. 2 Talbott was adamant. As Simonds told the story years later,

"Don't thee see, he said to me, how Pennsylvania was named...sylvania is woods, and so it was named Penn's woods, or Pennsylvania, and here are the rocks and woods which make Rocksylvania. I tried to compromise with him and call it Rockwood but did not succeed."3

Finally Talbott sold his mill site and settled on his land east of Rock Run with some other families of the Society of Friends. Here he laid out a town he called Rocksylvania in 1854. It consisted of 25 blocks around a public square (now known as Julia O'Neill Park, but once the site of the east side elementary school). Much later, the town of Rocksylvania became part of Iowa Falls, but the original blocks and streets remain as Talbott planned them. For many years Rocksylvania was almost exclusively inhabited by Friends, and the Friends Cemetery is located just to the northeast of the town.

With Talbott's move, Dr. Simonds applied for a post office in the name of Iowa Falls, and the name as remained since that time. The town was actually laid out in October 1855 (plat recorded June 1856) by J. L. Estes, Hosmer Stevens, and J. R. Larkin.4 The original town was bounded by the Iowa River on the west and south, Union Street on the north, and be the section line (one half block east of Oak Street) on the east. In 1856 a three story stone mill was built near the south end of Main Street, and about the same time Alfred Woods built a stone hotel called the Western House on the SW corner of Washington and Main. Although timber was readily available for building, limestone was also abundant. It is described as being easily quarried in unlimited quantities.....admits of a finish almost equal to marble.....Many substantial and neat stone buildings have been erected here from this material, and it is now being extensively shipped on the railroad to other points. It is well adapted for door and window caps and sills, as well as for ornamental stone work generally.....This limestone is of the best quality for the manufacture of quick- lime, large quantities of which are supplied at Iowa Falls, Alden and other points."5

Portions of the stone walls of the Western Hotel are said to still exist in the present (1991) Woods Hotel, but the other stone commercial buildings have been gone for decades. While there were once many limestones houses in Iowa Falls, the remaining ones can be counted on the fingers of one hand. The finest of those remaining is the J. S. Smith House at 704 College, built by a Swedish stone mason named John Hanson in 1858.

When Iowa Falls was platted most people felt it would grow up the hill from the river on the west (up Washington Street). However, the town actually grew on the hilltop or plateau, some seventy feet above the river which cuts its way through a deep gorge with perpendicular palisades rising on either side some fifty or sixty feet above the water. As it developed, plans were made for a future railroad, and it was thought that the best place for the tracks would be along the south edge of town, at the crest of the palisade above the mill. thus, the street nearest the river is named Railroad Street, not River, Front, or Water.

Despite the Civil War, new settlers were arriving rapidly. In 1863 and '64 the Hardin Sentinel at Eldora noted the growth of Iowa Falls. Business was brisk, there were many new faces, several first class stores were being built, and others were planned. Many people were locating there because of the certainty that the railroad would arrive the next year (1866). Mills were driven to capacity, and a lumber yard was opened in 1865.6 That same year Lyman Wisner established the first bank in Iowa Falls.

In December 1865 the editor of the Hardin Sentinel, Marcus Woodruff, decided to move the paper from Eldora to Iowa Falls. In the first paper printed in Iowa Falls he wrote:

Ten years ago the 7th day of August (1855) we alighted from a lumber wagon within 40 rods from where we are now penning these lines and turning our eyes in every direction saw but a single dwelling, a log cabin, and around about it a small farm lot from which had just been harvested a small patch of wheat and on which stood a few acres of corn. Some ten or a dozen faces, the entire population of the town, smiled a welcome to White's Mill, now Iowa Falls, which at that time had neither local habitation nor a name. Where now exists the teeming mart of our town, then stood a maturing crop of corn. Where now is heard the constant hum of active industry, the cling of the mechanic's hammer and trowel, the rapid stroke of the mill saws, the lumbering rattle of wagons and tramp of teams, the Babel of tongues waging upon all sort of subjects, where now stand nearly 200 buildings, where now move to and fro in the active pursuits of life over 1000 human beings, then could be seen the single farmer's unpretending cabin and its half dozen inmates, surrounded by an almost illimitable solitude of woodland and prairie. then an unreliable weekly mail brought us news ten days old. Now we have three mails per day. Then our nearest railway market was 150 miles away. Now we are within earshot of the locomotive's scream. then the arrival of a stranger was the theme of comment for days and even weeks. Now the lack of arrivals daily is a wonder. then a wilderness, now a rapidly growing flourishing village. It should be borne in mind that the bulk of this improvement has been made in the single year past. What then may we expect in the near future? In a few months at most the railroad will have given the town additional emphasis. The telegraph will transmit to us with lightning speed the intelligence of the busy world.7

Marcus Woodruff wrote that editorial from the second floor of a building still standing at 704 Washington Ave. Built in 1857, Sayer's Hall has played a very important role in Iowa Falls' growth. All kinds of social and political gatherings have been held in Sayer's Hall: conventions, district court, the Grange, railroad meetings, and lodge meetings. Although the facade has been altered several times, the building may have sufficient significance historically to be considered an eligible property.

On April 15, 1866 the first train arrived in Iowa Falls. The life of the community was to be changed forever.

PROPERTY TYPES

SETTLEMENT ERA: 1851-1865

I. NAME: The buildings, structures, objects, and districts representing "The Settlement Era: 1851-1865."

II. DESCRIPTION:

The resources (a collective term for the above named categories) in this property type are varied in terms of use, size, location, and building material. The unifying factor is that each is representative of the early period of Iowa Falls' development. While many of the early buildings were of wood frame construction, no extant examples have been discovered. If such examples should be identified in the future, these should be carefully evaluated for National Register eligibility. Limestone was a common building material during this period. No examples of stone commercial buildings have been identified, but several stone houses survive. Brick was used as a building material by the late 1850s and one extant commercial building and at least one residence have been identified. All resources in this property type are considered to be vernacular in design, that is they were built by local craftsmen using easily obtained materials, following a traditional straight-forward functional design. These were built without the benefit of an architect although in some cases a few "high style" details may be added to a simple vernacular building.

Commercial Buildings. The earliest buildings would have been wood frame or limestone, and probably were one or two stories high. These would have been rectangular in shape, with the narrow end of the rectangle toward the street. Roofs may have been gabled or hipped, with flat roofs becoming the norm in the 1860s. As brick became available, it was used for commercial buildings and followed the pattern established by the limestone buildings. The facades would usually have been symmetrical, and doors and windows would have featured limestone lintels and sills. Only one example has been identified, and the facade has been altered several times over the years. The street level has been altered more recently than the second floor.

Churches. No extant churches from this period were identified during the intensive level survey, but some may be documented in the reconnaissance areas. These buildings will be simple wood frame, brick or limestone structures. Altered exteriors are to be expected.

Residences, Residences are the most prevalent resource from this period. Several limestone houses with some Greek Revival elements applied have been recorded. These are one and one-half to two stories high, rectangular in plan, with a gable roof. The entry is located on the gable end, and cornice returns are a common element. Limestone sills and lintels are used throughout. With additional research it is probable that other residences from this period will be documented. These will be of wood frame and/or brick construction, may reflect the same Greek Revival elements found on the limestone houses, or may be representative of vernacular Gothic Revival or Italianate houses. The physical condition of the buildings/structures/objects will vary. The only commercial building identified has an altered facade. Churches are expected to be altered. Residences may have been altered by the application of stucco, the addition of wings, and the removal/addition of porches.

III. SIGNIFICANCE:

The resources that make up this property type are representative of the types of buildings, structures, and objects constructed between 1851 and 1865. These are the earliest buildings identified in the community and were built to provide the basics for survival, shelter and warmth. Vernacular in design, and varied in building material, these illustrate the common types of buildings found in new towns across the country during the mid-19th century. The availability and use of limestone is an important characteristic of this period.

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