NASHUA HISTORY TIME LINE
1836-2005
Compiled
by Jerry Adelmund
Revised
24 June 2005
1836 A trading post was
established near Bradford. (2)
1840 Land was broken and fenced by
the government at the forks of the Cedar Rivers for an Indian Reservation which
was never used. (2)
1846 December 28, Iowa admitted as
a sovereign state in the Union. (2)
1847 There was a reported massacre
of Sioux Indian women and children by the Winnebago Indians in Deerfield
Township, now in Chickasaw County. (2)
1848 Truman Merritt was the first
man to make a settlement within the boundaries of the county, located near the
Little Cedar River at Greenwood. (2)
1850 Greenwood Cemetery was
plotted.
The
first white child, the daughter of Truman Meritt, was born in Chickasaw County
at Greenwood. (2)
The
first white male child was born to Elmer Case at Greenwood. (2)
1851 Nashua Methodist church was
organized. (5)
The Illinois Central Railroad was
chartered.
1852 The first grammar school in
the county was started in Bradford. (2,7)
1853 First attempt to organize
Chickasaw County. (2)
1854 First log cabin was built by
John Hall, who was the first man to settle in Bridgeport (Nashua.) (2,7)
The
first business was established on the west bank of the Cedar River.
April 3, Chickasaw County was
officially organized. The court house, a log building, was built in Bradford.
(2)
December
31, John Bird was named organizing sheriff. (2)
The
first sermon in the county was preached at the home of John Bird. (2)
The
town of Chickasaw was platted and the saw mill was constructed there. (2)
1855 The original Nashua
(Bridgeport) plat was surveyed. (7)
Nashua
first named Bridgeport. Later name was changed to Woodbridge, and later named
Nashua at the suggestion of E.P. Greeley and Charles Greeley who came from
Nashua, New Hampshire.
1856 Smiley Sample opened a grocery store and E. P. Greeley, a
general store.
Miss
Maggie Nichols taught the first school in Nashua. It was in a wooden structure
located where the Methodist Church now stands.
1857 Andrew Sample erected the first grist mill, which lasted 10
years until the building of the Greeley Mill.
The
Bradford Lodge of the Masonic Order was founded in Bradford, later moved to
Nashua.
The
Montgomery House, later known as the DeNoyelles and the Commercial Hotel (our
present hotel) was built and opened with a grand ball on July 4.
The
Castle Hotel was built on the banks of the Cedar River where Cannon Park is now
located. (
The
Cedar Valley Times (newspaper) was first published in Bradford. (2)
The
county seat relocated to Chickasaw Center (New Hampton) from Bradford. (2)
1858 Steam saw mill was erected by
Charles Greeley. (2)
Andy Sample established first grist
mill at Nashua. (2)
May
10, The first Nashua Post Office established. (7)
1860 The principle crop was wheat
which was hauled to McGregor to market. A round trip took 6 days in good
weather.
Mr.
Greeley owned power making machinery that supplied a flour mill, a saw and
grist mill, lath and shingle mill and he was making arrangements for a cabinet
shop, stave factory, a turning lathe, a course feed mill and wool carder.
Nashua
was quickly growing because the saw mills made frame buildings possible. It also
provided wood for fences to keep animals contained.
A
Republican mass meeting for Abraham Lincoln and Hamlin was held in Bradford
with a parade in which one Chickasaw Delegation came on a flat boat drawn by 58
oxen and carrying 120 men.
The
Bradford Academy, an institution of higher learning, was erected in Bradford.
(7)
1861 The Civil War brings Illinois Central Railroad�s regular
service to a halt. It is used by
the army to move 31% of the troops and
30% of the supplies need for the war.
1862 Dr. B.M. Dewey became Nashua�s first medical doctor.
E. P. Greeley constructs a merchant
mill with a granite foundation.
This mill burned in 1899 and another stucture was built on that
site. The original foundation is
now the observation deck and fishing area below the dam. (8)
1864 The Little Brown Church was completed.
1865 Following the Civil War, unemployment was high so the
government paid men to dig up young saplings in the woods and transplant them
along Nashua streets-thus all our maple trees now.
1866 July 7, First Congregational
Church organized.
Turner
& Bellamy Lumber Company is established.
The
Chickasaw County Board of Supervisors let the contract, to build the bridge
over the Cedar at Nashua.
1867 May 22, The first edition of
The Weekly Nashua Post was published.
June
3, Nashua was incorporated, under the laws of the State of Iowa. (2)
Thomas
S. Bradford was elected the first Mayor of Nashua.
The
first wooden bridge was completed over the Cedar River.
Nashua
supports water power, timber land, 2 boot shops, 1 shoe shop, a wagon factory,
2 saw mills, 1 lawyer, a flour mill, 1 cooper shop, 2 lath and shingle mills, a
steam saw mill, 3 blacksmiths, a woolen factory, a brick manufacturer, a
hardware store, a tin shop, 4 dry foods stores, 1 variety store, 1 drug store,
a printing office, 1 millinery, 2 hotels, 1 meat market, 6 mechanics shops,
mail service and 5 churches.
The
population of Nashua was about 600.
1868 Oak Hill Cemetery Association
was formed.
July,
Illinois Central Railroad is completed to Nashua and a wooden railroad bridge
is built over the Cedar River and a depot is constructed on the east side of
the railroad on Madison Street.
(8)
The
first Catholic church was built. It was a frame building on the corner of
Madison and St. Lawrence Streets.
Rosenbaum
Brothers open Nashua�s first bank. Also the first in the county. (2,7)
1869 The first brick school
building was constructed on the present high school site. School had been held
there in a wooden building but this was sold to the Methodist�s for $210 and
moved toward town, later to be moved again, then torn down. This new brick school
building stood until July, 1962.
(8)
The
charter election was held. 146 votes were cast and the town recorded a
population of 745.
1870 The Castle Hotel was moved to
Main Street
The
first Congregational Church built.
The town of Lawler was incorporated.
Dec. 18, St. Mark�s Episcopal Church is consecrated. This church
stood on the corner of Douglas St. and Lexington Ave. (8)
1871 Masonic Lodge organized in
Nashua.
1872 The new fairgrounds were
completed and Nashua had a four county fair and the fairgrounds were
established by the Union Agricultural Society. (9)
1873 The town of New Hampton was
incorporated. (2)
The
Roman Catholic Church was organized in Nashua. (2)
Economic conditions made the
construction of the Nashua & Milwaukee Railroad unprofitable to complete,
so construction was suspended and never resumed. (8)
J. W. Patterson operates the
�Patterson House� Hotel, later to become the Nashua Grand Theatre. (8)
1874 Andy Felt starts the first bank in Nashua. (6)
1875 The Castle Hotel burned. (8)
1877 We find the first record of fire equipment. The city ordered
two 25 ft. ladders, some hooks and 96 pails.
The
Bradford Academy was closed. It now became the counties first high school until
it closed in 1887. (7)
1878 The Methodist church built
for $12,000. The finest religious edifice in the county. (2)
An Iron double span bridge is
constructed over the Cedar River replacing a wooden structure. This stood until being
replaced by a steel bridge in 1921.
(8)
1879 First National Bank of Nashua was organized, A. G. Case,
President. (2)
1880 Court House in New Hampton destroyed by fire. (2)
1883 Knights of Pythius chartered.
1884 Construction of the present Methodist Church begins after
the other was destroyed by fire.
1885 First graduating class from
Nashua High School.
April
26, the present Methodist Church was dedicated.
The
Kirkland Hotel was built on the corner of Cedar Street and Main.
The
Nashua Times was founded by J. D. Knapp. This newspaper later was bought and
became The Nashua Reporter in 1893.
1886 A water works system is
constructed by the city. Thirty hydrants are systematically distributed around
the city for fire protection.
1890 Two-wheeled hose cart bought for fire fighting bought by the
city.
1891 Isabella Club first met.
1892 The Nashua Pickle Factory contracted 100 acres of cucumbers.
The year before they shipped 20 rail cars of pickles to Chicago.
1893 Lutheran services held in Nashua. (8)
August
3, The first issue of The Nashua Reporter was published by Misses Minnie Murray
and Margaret Gorman.
1894 April 20, The Nashua Creamery Association is
established. (6)
1896 April,
Nashua has a population of about 1700 and provided an excellent hotel,
opera house, graded school, churches, banks, elevators, lumber yards, a fair
representation of businesses and elegant fair grounds.
Sept.
7, Electricity first came to Nashua. The town of Nashua entered into a contract
with C.F. Freehauf for the electric light plant. This later passed into the
hands of the Nashua Electric Company. In 1914, it was purchased by the Cedar
Valley Power Company.
Nashua
High School begins their first football season.
Lundt
Funeral Parlor and furniture store is established on Main Street in Nashua.
1900 Dr. Stuart came to Nashua.
(6)
The
Big Four Fair Society was organized, replacing the Union Agricultural Society
that was established in 1872. (9)
Mill
building built on the Cedar River, replacing the previous structure destroyed
by fire.
1901 The first library is opened
in town, located above a store front on Main St.
The Bowen family buys the Nashua
Woolen Mills and begins operation after ten years of idleness at the
facility. (8)
1902 The Catholic church was moved
to the present location. From 1904-06, a parochial school was operated.
December,
The first telephones in Nashua were established according to stories in old
files of the Reporter. The Nashua exchange of the Cedar Valley Telephone
Company was reported to have 30 phones in business places and residences and
six farm lines with a total of 40 phones.
January, Farmers Co-operative Creamery
Association of Nashua was incorporated. (6)
1903 The present IC railroad
bridge is built over the Cedar River.
The bridge cost $40,000 and took nine months to complete. (8)
A
new brick high school building constructed adjacent to the old school. School began almost a month late on
account of the new building not being completed on time. (8)
May 30, The new Soldier�s Monument at
Oak Hill Cemetery in unveiled. (8)
1904 Saint Michael�s Cemetery
ground was purchased from W. F. Getsch on May 26, and the old cemetery at Pearl
Rock was abandoned.
1905 Construction begins on the
Nashua Carnegie Library, costing $6,000.
(6)
1907 January, A fire on Main Street destroys five businesses and costs
$15,000. (8)
1908 Nashua Catholics suffer from
bigotry by an organized Ku Klux Klan.
Our
present fire company was organized.
Dr.
McDaniel came to Nashua. (6)
1909 First State Bank is started.
April 26, The Red Cross Drug and Jewelry Company is incorporated in
Nashua.
1912 Miller�s Meat Market opened.
Nashua
High School begins their first basketball season.
1913 The former city hall on
Woodbridge Street and the city water pumping station across from the Power
house were built. (8)
1914 Present Saint Michael�s Catholic Church built. (8)
The
Nashua Electric Light Company is purchased by the Cedar Valley Power Company.
Nashua
P.E.O. established.
1915 Construction of the present Congregational Church is
completed. (8)
The
Cedar Valley Power Company starts the first 24-hour electric service in Nashua.
Prior to this, electricity was just furnished during the day time hours.
The
Case Bank was organized into The Commercial State Savings Bank.
August, The Memorial Fountain was erected on Main Street in memory
of Mr & Mrs Lipman Loser who were the head of the Banking House in Nashua
for many years. (8)
1916 The Illinois Central Rail Road constructs a new depot in
Nashua. This was located across the tracks, to the west, from the original
depot. (8)
1917 Nashua Equity Cooperative Association was established and
purchases Nafus & Sons. (6)
March, Cedar Valley Electric Company completes the construction of
a 254 foot long dam and hydroelectric power plant on the Cedar River at
Nashua. (8)
1918 Flu epidemic hit Nashua.
1919 The Nashua Reporter and
Weekly Post combined.
September,
The Nashua Woolen Mills complete a shipment of 200,000 blankets for a U.S. Navy
war contract. (8)
The Ward Public School on the East
side of town, is no longer used by the Nashua School District. (8)
1920 The Crystal Ice and Fuel Company ice house is constructed on
the east shore of Cedar Lake here. It is one of the largest in this section of
the state. The building is 110 ft wide, 150 ft long and 50 ft tall. The
hundreds of tons of high quality natural ice is not only used for local
consumption but also by the Illinois Central Railroad for the cooling of their
rail cars. (8)
1921 Steel Double Span bridge is built across the Cedar River at
Nashua. (8)
1923 First fire truck was
purchased, a 1923 Model T, by the Nashua Fire Department.
September 8, The Nashua Woolen Mills
burns, destroying most of the third floor. The factory is rebuilt only to burn again in 1926. (8)
1924 Cedar Valley Electric Company
is sold to the Iowa Public Service Company.
October, Main Street is paved for the
first time. (8)
1925 Present Bradford Mason Lodge
in Nashua built. (8)
1926 The biggest fire in Nashua�s
history - the Woolen Mill - burned, a $75,000 fire. (6)
The new Lake Resort Club House, the
Sunset Inn, is built on the East side of Cedar Lake. (8)
1927 Methodist Activity Building
dedicated.
The
Cedar Valley Power Company is purchased by the Central Iowa Light and Power
Company.
April 30, The Bradford Lodge No. 129 of the Masonic Order dedicate a
new Temple, costing $10,000 that was built on the site of the former Baptist
Church property on the Diagonal and Main Street. (8)
1928 Iowa Public Service Company
takes over electric service with the buy out of Central Iowa Light and Power
Company.
Nashua
Pickle Factory building was destroyed by fire.
1929 November 11, Cannon Park
dedicated in honor of those who gave their lives in the Civil War.
1930 Reo Speedwagon fire truck
purchased.
1931 First Nashua State Bank was established with the merger of
the First State Bank and the Nashua State Bank.
The Illinois Central Railroad
discontinues passenger train service on this line of the IC. Prior to bus service in Nashua, 6
passenger trains stopped here daily. (8)
1932 Nashua Lions Club organized.
1936 Junior Federated Club
organized. Mrs. P. E. Stuart founder.
An
addition is built onto the Nashua High School. This 3 story structure will
include classrooms and an auditorium (gymnasium). (4)
A
new sewage disposal plant is built. The town sewer system has been in use since
1911, but until now, no facilities to purify the sewage before dumping into the
Cedar River.
1937 The class of 1937 is the first class to have commencement in
the auditorium. Classes had traditionally held graduation in the Nashua Opera
House.
The
Boy Scout cabin is completed. It is built by WPA labor and logs donated by Bell
Telephone and IPS.
1938 January 5, The annual ice
harvest was started this week by the Crystal Ice and Fuel Company with a crew
of about 100 men. Ice is about 20 inches thick, but must be trimmed to 12
inches to get solid, clear ice.
January
20, A total of 260 tickets were sold for the annual Nashua Fireman�s Ball. It
was held January 20 at the Nashua Opera House.
1939 Modern street lighting is
installed on Nashua streets and intersections.
April
10, The Nashua Public Schools were reopened after being closed the previous
Thursday and Friday in an effort to check the spread of Scarlet Fever. The
school buildings were very thoroughly scrubbed and disinfected. Books were
taken out of lockers and sprayed with disinfectant.
The
Public Library was also ordered cleaned and disinfected by Mayor Waite. All
books were wiped off with a disinfected cloth.
October,
Fred Hauser opens a new manufacturing shop 1/2 block north of Main Street on
Highway 346. Thirty years later this building will become the Nashua Fire
Department.
1940 A great year for butter
manufactured by Nashua Farmers Cooperative Creamery. Imagine the Kirkland
Hotel, Nashua�s largest downtown structure, being surfaced on the outside with
pound cartons of butter, laid like bricks. Then imagine 4 more buildings the same
size covered. This is a total of 599,241 pounds of butter made in Nashua this
year.
1941 Lundt Furniture and Funeral
Home was purchased by the Chenoweth Family.
1942 Nashua athletic teams adopt
the Bulldog as the school mascot at Homecoming. Prior to that, they were
referred to as the "Fighting Scarlet and White" or the "Nashua
Eleven."
The old Livery Barn on North Main
Street was demolished. It was
later replaced with the Hauser Manufacturing Plant, later used by the City of
Nashua as a city shed. (8)
1943 June 16, A decision was
reached to not hold the Big Four Fair again this year. The exposition was
canceled in 1942 due to the lack of good free attractions and a midway carnival
due to the war-time conditions.
August
4, Golden Anniversary Addition of the Nashua Reporter is published.
August
25, No Nashua Reporter is published this week due to the war-time shortage of
help and vacations due to office staff.
The original Illinois Central Railroad
depot is demolished. (8)
1946 V F W initiated.
October
9, The Nashua Opera House is torn down. (8)
Dr.
Clark came to Nashua.
The Crystal Ice House ends operation
due to the roof caving in. (8)
1947 March, Nashua Bric-Block Factory opens. This facility later became the
Hydrotile Company.
1948 Nashua Bric-Block Factory is bought by N. T. Fosse, becoming
the Nashua Tile Company.
1951 The steel grandstands at the Fairgrounds is built, replacing
a wooden structure that was destroyed by fire. The roof was put on in 1954. (9)
The Nashua Equity Cooperative
purchased Bellamy Lumber Company. (6)
1953 Chickasaw County Historical
Society formed.
1955 Nashua Centennial- 80 parade
entries- 20,000 people attend.
Historical
Society Museum established in Bradford.
1958 The Nashua School District begins using buildings at the
Fairgrounds as classrooms as the consolidation of country schools begin. (9)
The Greeley Building, one of the
oldest brick buildings on Main Street, was stripped of its top two floors and
veneered with a new brick face for the Miller�s Meat Market. (8)
1959 A new highway by-pass is constructed to the west of town.
Greeley Street is no longer used as Federal Highway 218.
1960 Highway 346 is hard surfaced
for the first time.
1961 Construction begins on the
Nashua Elementary School.
August, Nashua school enrollment is
904 students.
March
27, All-time greatest flood experienced by Nashuans on the Cedar River.
April
27, St. John�s Lutheran Church burned.
A
new gymnasium and superintendents office is added to the Nashua High School.
1962 Nashua�s First brick high
school building was demolished.
(8)
Hydrotile
continues a major expansion with the building of another large steel building
at the plant in Brooklyn. They currently employ 70 workers.
August
16, Nashua Bulldogs play on the new football field. The fairgrounds field had
served as the home of the Nashua teams.
Nov.
5, Present Lutheran Church dedicated.
December
9, Nashua Community School District dedicated a new elementary school, and the
gym addition to the high school as well as the remodeling the 1936 building.
The total cost of the new school, remodeling and high school addition is
$600,000.00. (8)
1963 Operation of the hydroelectric
power plant discontinued by Iowa Public Service in Nashua.
1965 The Grand Theater on Main Street was demolished. (8)
1967 Nashua Town and Country Club built.
February
14, Two Nashua school busses collide on slippery Highway 346. 44 of 78 pupils
aboard received medical attention. All students were examined by a doctor.
April
13, The Nashua Bowling Alley, located across from the high school, burns. This
was the worst recent fire since St. John�s Lutheran was destroyed by fire Feb.
25, 1960.
1968 Current city hall is
constructed by the Iowa Public Service Company to be used as an office and
equipment warehouse.
April, Iowa Public Service Company
gives 2.54 acres to the City of Nashua for a park at the end of Lake Shore
Drive.
1969 March, The former Hauser
Manufacturing Company building provides spacious quarters for the newly
relocated Nashua Fire Department.
April
11, The Illinois Central Railroad Stock Yards are dismantled. They were built
after WW II and were key in shipping livestock in and out of the area.
May,
IPS opens a new $65,000 Office building on South Main Street with an Open House
for local patrons. This will later become the Nashua City Hall.
August,
Record enrollment for the Nashua Community School, 1072 students begin classes
this fall.
1972 The Illinois Central Railroad merged with the parallel Gulf
Mobile & Ohio to form Illinois
Central Gulf. By 1990 the name was restored to Illinois Central Railroad.
1975 June 10, St. Michael�s Parish
Center is dedicated.
1977 The Farmers Co-op Creamery in Nashua ends operations, being
established in 1901. (8)
May, New concrete grain silos are
built by the Nashua Equity Coop Elevator.
1980 ?? Two additional silos are
built at the grain elevator.
1982 The 1903 high school building was demolished and the
addition to the high school began.
1983 February 6, the Nashua Community School dedicated a
new addition and remodeling of the high school.
1984 December 3, Metal Span bridge over the Cedar is raised
and replaced with a concrete bridge below the dam.
Sept. 22, The recently abandoned
Illinois Central Gulf Railroad line thru Nashua was again in use. The first train of the newly
established Cedar Valley Railroad Company comes through Nashua.
1985 The Nashua Bulldogs win the Class 1-A Iowa High School Boy�s
Basketball Championship.
Nashua�s
355,000 gallon water tower is completed.
The
100th graduating class receives their diplomas from Nashua High School.
1986 An addition is completed to the Nashua Public Library.
1989 The lake is dredged by the
Army Corp of Engineers, Chickasaw, Floyd and State of Iowa road crews.
1990 The dam is refurbished and
the 700 acre Cedar Lake is restored at a cost exceeding $850,000.
March
8, The lake is filled for the first time in close to a decade. After the
powerhouse gates are closed, it takes just 8 hours for water to run over the
control gate.
June,
Nashuans hosts the first annual "Water Over the Dam Days"
celebration.
1991 Hydrotile, a major Nashua
employer, goes out of business.
The Cedar River Railroad was
established with the acquisition of the Cedar Valley Railroad, becoming a
subsidiary of the Illinois Central Railroad.
1992 First Nashua State Bank
builds a new facility on Cedar Street.
August, The Nashua Community School
District and the Plainfield Community School District begin a whole-grade
sharing agreement for the 1992-93 school year.
1993 Bids are taken for the renovation of the current City Hall
building (former IPS office), in preparation for the moving from the 1913 City
Hall building on Woodbridge Street.
1995 February 12, Methodist
Fellowship and Education Building is dedicated.
1996 May 31, Olympic Torch passes
through Nashua in route to the opening of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in
Atlanta, Georgia.
The Illinois Central Railroad purchases the Chicago Central
& Pacific Railroad (the former Iowa Division) and the Cedar River Railroad.
1997 July 1, Nashua-Plainfield Community Schools consolidate.
1998 June 18, Tornado like winds
hit Nashua, taking down century old trees and damaging homes and businesses.
1999 May 1, After 125 years in business, First Nashua State Bank
is purchased by Lincoln Savings Bank of Reinbeck.
The Illinios Central Railroad merges
with the Canadian National Railroad.
2000 July 9, Nashua Telephones are
switched from the 515 to 641 area code.
August,
Chickasaw County Big 4 Fair celebrates its 100th anniversary. (9)
Plans are made for the construction of
a new fire station to be built on Greenwood Avenue on the old Pierce property.
A subdivision is started on the south
side of town off the golf course.
2001 April,
Featherlite Inc., discontinues the manufaturing of trailers at Nashua.
2002 Dec. 2, First State Bank opens for business on Greenwood
Avenue in Nashua.
2003 Chenoweth & Son Funeral
Homes in Nashua & Fredericksburg merged with the Hugeback Funeral Homes in
New Hampton, Lawler and Protivin to create the Hugeback & Chenoweth Funeral
Homes.
Nov. 14, The Avenue of the Saints
By-pass ribbon cutting ceremony takes place. The road is opened to traffic on the West side of Nashua a
few weeks later, making the 536 mile four-lane complete.
2004 Nashua begins a Main Street Revitalization Program.
Sept. 27, First State Bank opens their
new office building on Main Street.
An all-weather track is completed at
the Nashua-Plainfield Athletic field in Nashua.
2005 Nashua celebrates the Sesquicentennial (June 16-26) in
conjunction with the Annual Water Over the Dam Days Celebration.
Cedar Vale opens in a new facility
across from the new Nashua Fire Department station.
Reference:
(1) The Weekly Nashua Post,
Volume 1, Number 1, May 22, 1867.
(2) The History of Chickasaw
& Howard Counties, Iowa. �1883.
(3) The Weekly Nashua Post,
Special Industrial Edition, April 1896.
(4) The Nashua Reporter,
September 23, 1936.
(5) The Nashua Reporter,
Golden Anniversary Edition, Aug. 4, 1943.
(6) The Nashua Reporter,
Centennial Edition, October 6, 1955.
(7) Chickasaw County Iowa
Pictorial Atlas, Histories. � 1978.
(8) Nashua - A Look Back In
Time - The Nashua Reporter Series, 2004-2005.
(9) �The Fair is Open to the
World,� 100 years of Progress, History of the Big
Four
Fair. 1900-2000.