In 1873, Methodists in rural Poweshiek County organized the Sunset Church near the present-day site of Guernsey. The first church building for the congregation was constructed at a cost of $1,600 and was dedicated October 26, 1879. The town of Guernsey was platted four years later, and a majority of members desired to establish a presence in the new community. In 1894, the Sunset Church was torn down, with the lumber repurposed for use in construction of a new church building in Guernsey.
The new church in Guernsey was completed in 1894 at a cost of $3,350. Though efforts in 1941 to construct a new building did not materialize, a significant expansion project was completed in 1965. The Guernsey United Methodist Church currently shares a pastor with four other area churches.
The first account of library services in the Fayette County of Arlington dates to 1883, when resident O.H. Osborne made his personal collection of books available to readers within the town’s post office. Books were later stored in a downtown jewelry store before the community came together in 1928 to remodel a room for library use in the City Hall. The present building was constructed in 1982 at a cost around $62,000. A grant covered one-third of the cost, with the remaining funds raised from donations by local citizens and organizations. The 1,800-square-foot building was dedicated November 21, 1982.
In 1903, four years after the Kossuth County town of Lone Rock was planted, a group of farmers and merchants met to discuss telephone service for the community and surrounding areas. A company was quickly formed, and shares were issued to fund purchase of a switchboard and installation of telephone lines surrounding Lone Rock in all directions. The present office building was constructed in 1958 in downtown Lone Rock.
The Austinville State Savings Bank was established in the unincorporated Butler County town of Austinville in 1911. In addition to surviving the Great Depression, the bank survived a number of robberies and attempted robberies. In 1922, over $2,000 was stolen from the safe while nitroglycerin was used in a similar robbery attempt in 1930. Another robbery occurred on February 17, 1940, when burglars cut through the bank’s 3,000-pound safe to steal $1,000. The last robbery was October 4, 1985, as a new security system was installed shortly after the incident.
After a series of acquisitions, the bank was converted to a branch of the Lincoln Savings Bank. When the Lincoln Savings Bank decided to close the Austinville office, community members met to discuss ways to preserve the historic building, related memorabilia, and the contract post office which shared space with the bank. The Austinville Historical Society was quickly formed and took control of the building. The post office branch continued to operate for more than a decade before its closure on June 2, 2011.
Julie Van Holland was the first customer to the new Post Office facility in the Sioux County community of Rock Valley, which opened its doors to the public at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, June 1, 1970. Construction on the $61,000 facility was finished a few days prior, nearly a year and a half after the construction contract was signed and over four years after the U.S. Postal Service formally announced Rock Valley would receive a new post office facility. The building was formally dedicated July 16, 1970.
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