The First United Methodist Church in the Jasper County seat of Newton was first organized in 1848 as the Methodist Episcopal Church. Worshipers met at a number of homes before a public meeting place was established in 1854. Construction on the current $85,000 church began in 1914, with the dedication service held the following year. A significant addition was built in 1852 for classrooms and meeting rooms; major remodeling projects were completed in 1987 and 1990.
Liberty Baptist Church between Thurman and Sidney in Fremont County in extreme southwest Iowa was organized June 27, 1857 with 14 charter members. Meetings were held in private homes before a permanent facility was constructed near Thurman. In 1922, the congregation purchased the former Methodist church building near the defunct hamlet of Knox. Membership peaked at 66 in 1909; the church closed its doors in August 1959.
In September 1954, Mingo resident Forest Maxwell met with the city council to discuss the possibility of starting a volunteer fire department for the Jasper County community. The enthusiastic Council moved quickly on the project, approving the department’s by-laws and appointing the first fire chief by the end of the year. In 1955, a fire siren was installed and the following year marked construction of the current fire garage. The 30′ x 48′ concrete block building originally included space for a city office and later the public library. Those offices have since relocated a block south, and the building now exclusively houses the Mingo Volunteer Fire Department.
A small fire started in the State Theater in Washington, Iowa, around 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, November 17, 2010. The fire was reported when smoke and flames were seen coming from the second floor; the quick call and close proximity of the town’s volunteer fire department helped keep damages to a minimum. Repairs were made in the winter months, with a grand re-opening held April 30, 2011. Funds are being raised to restore the theater’s exterior to its original design. One of the longest continually-operating movie houses in the state, the State Theater opened as an opera house in 1893.
Postal service in the Worth County town of Hanlontown dates to 1899, when a post office was established in a local general store. It’s moved several times in its 110-year history, sharing space with a barber shop in the 1920s and moving to a brick building adjacent to its current space in 1952. The current facility was built in 1960 to lease to the Post Office as part of the U.S. Postal Service’s leasing program. The building is still in use today. Though the future of the Hanlontown office was uncertain, earlier this month the Postal Service announced the location would not be closed.