| |
|
Old Views of Early, Iowa
Due to size constraints many of the lovely family photos you submitted were not able to be included in the Quasquicentennial History Book. It was decided to try to include as much of each family history as possible to get a full listing of ancestors, relatives, and descendants which left a shortage of room for family photos.
|
|
This website is going to be maintained as a memorial to the great
Quasquicentennial weekend.
 Click Here to view photos of Early's Main Street. Includes Rare view of both the east and west side of main looking south 1909; West side of Main 1908; 2nd Street (bank) 1908; Bank Corner; North Main 1913; West Side of Main looking north 1915; another of West Side 1915.
Feel free to email your photos to: webmaster@nemahaweb.com where they can be added to the website for everyone to enjoy. |
 Early, Iowa school. Photo taken around 1909. |
 This is a photograph of "Big Tree Corner" which was a widely known landmark at the junction of U.S. Highway 20 and 71, about 2 1/2 miles south of the new Early.
The original town of Early stood just outside of this picture on the right. It was a small beginning, having only six places of business and three or four small houses. All faced east. This snapshot was made in the early 1920s and the tree remained standing for at least fifty more years. |
|
Some time prior to 1882 surveyors came to survey for the NorthWestern Railway. But the farmers protested so badly against having their farms cut up by the railroad, the project was given up in this eara and the rails were laid from east to west, two and one-half miles north of Old Early, in the year 1882.
Knowing there would never be a thrifty town off the railroad, the few citizens of Old Early decided to move the town the two and one-half miles north and have the benefit of the railroad. Some of the buildings were moved to the new town site, and others to various locations. Old Early was vacated September 19, 1882. Orlin Haradon bought the 40 acres where Old Early once stood.  Eli Haradon Blacksmith and Wagon Shop was started in old Early and later moved to New Early in 1882, where about a year later it was destroyed by fire. |
New Early 1882 - 1911The new town of early started with several houses, a post office, railroad depot, the Haradon Blacksmith and Wagon Shop, a meat market, barbershop, a two-story wooden school building (see school history), and an "exchange" type bank located in the general merchandise store.
This photo was taken from the roof of Carlton's Lumber Yard looking northwest around 1900. The building at lower right is a hotel. Telephone service was introduced in 1914 by the J.M. Kelly Co. and the Farmers Telephone Co. These two companies united under the name of Early telephone Co. and functioned until 1929, when it was sold to the Central West Public Service Co. The water works were operational in 1895. The Early News of July 1, 1898 stated that "The public watering trough at the corner of First and Main Streets has been set, the main tapped, the water turned on, and all that people coming to Early have to do to water their teams is to drive up to the trough, uncheck their horses and let them drink. The citizens of Early were displeased with the former gas plant and its poor lighting system, so in the autumn of 1913, the first electric light plant was built. Cement sidewalks were put in front of the post office, meat market, Allen's Hardware store, Pioneer Drug Store aned Hartman's Restaurant on the west side of main street in 1897, taking the place of the plank walks laid previously. Return to Top |
This view looks south on Main Street, taken from the roof of the bank. It shows the effect of a devastating fire sometime before 1897. |
 July 4th was a time for celebration. This would be equivalent to the current Crossroads Days celebration. |
|
The first attempt at banking was styled as the "Exchange", a sort of banking business transacted in a general merchandise store, but it did little real banking business. The first bank proper was the Early State Bank, organized about 1888. It was conducted in the building which was later to become the Masonic Lodge Hall. It was established as a private concern, but was soon converted into a state bank, and finally merged into the State Bank of Early.
Return to Top |
 State Bank of Early, successor to the Early State Bank, erected this fine brick building about 1900. |
 The Citizens State Bank of Early was organized January 1, 1911 with a capital of $30,000. |
|
In 1925, a merger was affected involving the State Bank of Early and the Citizens State Bank. The reorganized institution operated until January 1927 as the State Bank of Early. The Early Savings Bank had its beginning at the meeting of depositors of the closed State Bank of Early on January 29, 1927.
Return to Top 
This is a photo of the Early, Ia. Civil War veterans gathering, taken probably in the 1890s. It was taken in front of the old Arthur Mason home. (located near the south end of main street & to the west.....this historic home is still there). Notice the regiment flag displayed at the left & the men wearing their GAR ribbons. Early, Ia. veterans in the photo are: Front row: Charles Prentice, H.W. Cory, Mr. LaGrange, S. Develo Hay, Eli Haradon, Washington F. Hay, E.M. Fuller. Back row: Riley Geary, Mr. Dunham, Mr. Blackman, S.K. Fuller, Marvin Haradon, Mr. Doone, Ed McQuirk, Dr. Thomas Farquhar Photo courtesy of Jaime Beers Shaffer, granddaughter of Cecil and Etoile Engler. 
Here is another photo of the Arthur Mason home, taken later, probably in the early 1900s. The couple in the buggy in front of the Arthur (Lawrence) Mason home is Arthur’s parents, Anderson Lee and his wife Marian Mason. Anderson and Marion were some of the first settlers in the Early area, buying Green Bush Farms in 1871. Green Bush is the farm that Rich, Jan and Chris Mason live on, a mile west of Reif Park. The horse's name was "Old Lady". 
Photo submitted by Jaime Beers Shaffer, granddaughter of Cecil and Etoile Engler.Information on couple and horse provided by Donavon and Lois Mason via Frank Scott. < < < Could this be the same house today as shown above? If so, the two-story right side was replaced. Email: webmaster@nemahaweb.com if you have an answer. |
Early Hotel - early 1900s. Return to Top 
Lobby of the Early Hotel - Early 1900s. Photo courtesy of Jaime Beers Shaffer, granddaughter of Cecil and Etoile Engler.  Return to Topp  This was the Engler Antique Shop building on the east side of Main street, between Carla's Mane Creations and the Municipal Building. It was vacant when this photo was taken April 1, 1984. It has since been torn down.Return to Top  This is a picture of the old Early depot. It was on the west side of main street. The lumber building to the right was replaced with Payless Cashway's new block building still standing.  Back view of the depot in 1961. Payless Cashway's block building at left still stands but the depot is long gone. Mayor Frank Scott remembers when the lumber store building was the Greenbay Lumber Co. Sanford Furrow bought out the Greenbay Co., and then used the building a short time before it was torn down. The building that stands there now was the Early Lumber Store and later named Payless Cashway Lumber. Frank worked in the Early Lumber Store the summer of 1941.  Another view of the depot at right and south part of town in 1913. |
|
Return to Top  The "Hose House" was an unusual building constructed in Approximately 1890 and located on Main Street. It was the home of the Early, Iowa fire department until 1941. This is an original pen and ink drawing by local artist Sandi Weitzel and was used on the third Centennial plate in 1982. Click here for information on plates being offered for sale. |
 < < Methodist church 1882-1920. 
Early, Iowa water tower around 1914 > > |
|
Return to Top Web Design by Nemaha Web Design Updated 5/23/08 |
