Bancroft History
Bancroft, Kossuth County, Iowa, USA
Early Settlement
from
"Bancroft, Iowa 1881 - 1981: 100 Years of Growing -
The Garden Spot of Iowa"
by Centennial Committee
Juanita Underkofler Clark, Editor
©1981?
Pages 1-3
Kossuth County was established in 1851 by the state legislature.
In 1852 the line between Iowa and Minnesota was surveyed with
Bancroft County adjacent to it. Through the efforts of Asa
Call, in 1855 Kossuth and Bancroft counties were merged into
Kossuth County For a time Bancroft was a part of Crocker County
until that county was dissolved in 1870 by the Supreme Court.
The town located in Greenwood Township was surveyed at the
direction of the Western Town Lot Co. the fall of 1881. At
that time the town consisted of nine blocks and twenty outlots,
with a railway reservation. Early additions were Western Town
lot, 1882; A.A. Call, 1885; Benson Searle, 1886: C.R. Morehouse
2nd, 1889; C.R. Morehouse Subdivision, 1889; Geo. V. Davis,
1891; Holloways Subdivision, 1891. Murray Additions first and
sceond have been added in recent years.
A.A. Call of Algona prevailed upon tne railroad to name the
town Bancroft after the historian and diplomat, George
Bancroft, rather than Burt as the railroad had planned.
According to Reed's History, C.B. Lake began erection of
the first building in December, 1881, for a grocery on the
site where the post office is now located. Before this was
completed and stocked, Nathan Hawkes, who had a little store
near the Center schoolhouse west of town, moved the building
into town onto the lot across the street from Lake's building,
now the location of the Garry Furniture Store. Thus Hawkes had
the honor of being the first merchant in Bancroft.
W.E. Jordan put in a stock of lumber and Andrine began to pound
iron at the forge. Also in 1881, Johnson Bros. put up a building
and offered a general stock. It appears this building was in
the location of the Legion building. A hardware store was opened
by Woodworth and Bush on the corner where Peavey is now located.
This later became the Model Store, a two story store offering
general merchandise and, in more recent years, Hood's Grocery.
The depot was finished about this time and lasted until 1972. A
hotel was built where the Shillington Hardware is now. Between
this and the corner building, R.M. Richmond built a two story
structure for an office. In April 1882, D.A. Ellis started the
Bancroft Register in the Richmond building and school was held
there one winter. There were three eating places at this time,
the Globe House, a hotel next door and a city restaurant.
Z. Roberts, as president, and J.C. Jones as cashier, started
the Bank of Bancroft, the first bank in town at the east end
of Main Street on the south side, in 1882.
The community grew in 1882 and, according to Reed, "the finest
improvement was the hotel built by W.E. Jordan. It was 36 ft.
square and with its mansard roof was three stories high. On
the north was a wing 16 by 24 feet. This was an elegant
building, but before it was hardly completed it burned to
the ground, October 13, 1882. It is generally believed some wretch
set fire to it. The present Phoenix House was immediately built
upon the foundation and opened to the public in April, 1883."
The Phoenix House was located on the site of the Phillips 66
Station. Later there were two other hotels, the Tallman and
the Commercial.
An account in the Bancroft Register tells of a July 4th
celebration in 1888. There was an oration by a prominent man
of the time, the Declaration of Independence was read, a
Blessing and numbers by a choir and the band. Other activities
were a baseball game, day fireworks, slow mule race, egg and
other races, greased pole contest, evening fireworks, a band
concert at the school hall. Three coaches on the train brought
200 people from Algona. Everyone came with well filled lunch
baskets and the "grove" was crowded to capacity. The train
returned to Algona at 10:30 p.m. Another train left for Elmore
at midnight. The bowery continued until four in the morning.
The crowd was estimated at 2000 to 3000.
Another destructive fire occurred on December 13, 1893 when
all the stores on the north side of the street from Morrison's
office to, and including, the First National Bank building on
the west of the block at the corner of the street were
destroyed. The newspaper in the Richmond building was included
and all the files and hence the early accounts of the growing
town were destroyed.
W.E. Morrison was the first attorney and first mayor of the
town. The election on the incorporation of the town was held
February 16, 1884. There were thirty-three ballots cast in favor
of the proposition, fourteen against and one ballot rejected.
Other lawyers before 1900 were Samuel Mayne, S.W. Crowell, P.M.
Barslou, Charles Kegley and Charles C. Thompson.
There were four general stores by the early 1900's. The
Kennedy Bros. building was erected in 1897. Kramer and
Merrill bought out C.E. Mclaughlin. The Furstenburg
Mercantile Co. was located on the south side of Main Street
in the building that Fred Kadow owns. P.J. Nemmers began
the Model Store in 1911.
Two drug stores, the P.J. Nemmers Drug Co. and J. and G.S.
Underkofler, who purchased their business from B.H. Sudmeier
in 1906, were serving the cormmunity. Each also maintained
a jewelry department.
The two hardware stores were owned by Matt Nemmers and Mayer
and Guide. Mayer and Guide built the brick building now Garry's
Furniture in 1901-1902.
There was a telephone system about 1900. The Waterworks system
was in use in May, 1895. Henry Smith built the tower and put up
the tank. Equipment consisted of a gasoline engine and pump.
They also had a hose cart with hose, a fire whistle, but no
organized fire department.
The first school was taught during the winter of 1881-1882 in
the second story of a building next to the present post office,
the Richmond building. A school house was built during the
next summer at a cost of $2000, and it apparently was located
on the site of the present Public School.
"Rev. W. Spell, a Congregational minister, held the first
religious service in the Richmond building January 1, 1882.
During the summer, a Presbyterian minister, Rev. R.A. Paden
preached several times and held services at the Phoenix Hotel."
The Swedish Lutheran Church was the first church. It was built
in 1886. The church was organized soon after the town was
started. The Methodist-Episcopal church was organized in 1882.
The Baptist church was organized in 1888. Mass was being
held by the Catholics but the church was not built until 1891.
Chris Behrmann began in the land and insurance business in 1901.
The Sheridan Bros., Jim and Nick, started dealing in land in
1891. John Nemmers was in the insurance business before 1910.
Wm. Putzier opened a tailor shop in 1898. The millinery shop
was conducted by Susie Hackl, and later by Mary McCarty. O.L.
Harper was the first photographer and he was followed by Kinney,
and then H.J. Hanapel in 1911.
H.E. Nemmers ran a pool hall and was followed by Peter Sandt
in 1912. The other pool hall was owned by Albert Ditsworth.
Peter Becker bought the meat market from Wegner and Co. in 1902.
J.H. Goetzinger bought Alva Hunt's blacksmith shop in 1905. M.A.
Saunders opened his blacksmith shop at the east end of Main
Street where K. and H. is now, in 1911. There were three
livery barns to take care of the many teams. One was located
on Main Street at the site of the Kemna Garage, another a
block north, and the third was across the street from the Ed
Richter residence.
John Winkel opened an elevator business in 1889 and was in
business until 1911 when it became the Farmers Elevator Co.
Joe Murray purchased his elevator from J.B. Carr in 1894.
The Creamery Company was organized in January, 1892. The
Independent Order of Odd Fellows was organized in 1892 and
they were followed by several other groups, the Catholic Order
of Foresters being the only one still in existence.
Some of the more familiar names of the business community in
that early period, 1910 and before, were: Farmers and Traders
Savings Bank, Murray Elevator, Sudmeier and Stahl, drugstore;
Queal Lumber Co., A. Mayer Co., farm implements (later Mayer
and GuIde); Kennedy Bros. Department Store, First National
Bank, Dr. C.M.C. Walters, Sheridan Bros. Real Estate, M.H.
Haan Hardware, Bancroft Register, Westphal and Hutton, Welp
Cement Products, Kramer aud Merrill, general merchandise;
Hatten Bros. Harness, Lattimer Bros. Horse Market, Wm.
Putzier, jeweler; P.J. Nemmers, Peter Becker, J. and G.S.
Underkofler, G. Bolster, real estate; Behrmann Real Estate,
Seeney and Lee. well drillers; Frank Schemmel, auctioneer;
L.A. Tostenson, jeweler and engraver; A.J. Doleschal and John
Becker, dray line; H.W. Phelps, handmade blocks and cisterns;
H.J. Hanapel, photographer; John Williams, barber; pool halls,
Peter Sandt and Albert Ditsworth; Matt Nemmers Hardware and
Dr. J.H. Sowers, dentist.
One of the earliest residents was Benny Searles who came
here with his parents in a covered wagon in 1865. Other early
residents were Cora Kinney Hunt and Amos Kinney.
Cora and Amos were the children of Mr. and Mrs. George Kinney
who homesteaded on the SE quarter of Sec. 15, Seneca Township.
Seven of their children were buried in a plot at the farm as
there was no cemetery. Manning, a fourteen year old son,
was frozen to death when he became lost in the blizzard of
January, 1867. He had walked to Algona, taking grain to be
ground at the Mill. There were no roads, no fences and no
towns between his home and the Mill. Cora Kinney married
Alvah Hunt and became the mother of Bancroft residents, Mrs.
Doris McGee, Harold Hunt and Flynn Hunt.
The town has continued to grow and prosper. The
census figures show:
1930 - 854
1940 - 959
1950 - 901
1960 - 1000
1970 - 1103
1980 - 1111
Bancroft is the second largest town in the county with a
Municipal Electric plant, paved streets, an excellent fire
department, recreational facilities including a swimming
pool, a golf course and club house, lighted baseball park,
lighted softball field, concrete tennis courts, several
housing developments, a nursing home, many new residential
homes, new business buildings, a modern sewer system, a
community ambulance, a park, and a Senior Citizen's Center.
E-mail: dwagner2@isd.net
©2003 DJW
Last Modified:
November 1, 2003