Sixteen Lutheran families in the Cerro Gordo County seat of Mason City established a congregation in July 1, 1871. A permanent facility was constructed in 1824, with the Trinity name adopted in 1908. Over the next 35 years, membership grew exponentially and the church became too small for the congregation. As money was raised for a new facility, church services were held in the now-demolished Palace Theater.
The first services were held in the present facility on May 14, 1950. An adjacent three-story education building was constructed in 1960.
In 1973, the Crescent and Federated Clubs in the Cass County town of Lewis joined forces to organize a library in a room within the town’s community building. As the library grew, it moved to one of the stalls at the fire station, and then to its present Main Street building. The Lewis Public Library now contains over 5,000 items with a circulation averaging more than 3,000 items yearly.
On August 29, 2011, ground was broken for construction of a new Public Library and Heritage Center. Fueled by a former resident’s $50,000 donation and a $187,000 grant from USDA Rural Development, the new facility is expected to be completed in Spring 2012. In addition to library materials, the building will contain records and artifacts from Lewis’ 150-plus-year history.
The library’s Facebook page includes photos of the new building’s progress.
Fire service in the Buchanan County town of Hazleton can be traced to December 6, 1906, when fifteen residents form a volunteer fire department. A week later, they raised $75 with a basket social, with additional fundraising events held on a monthly basis. The first fire fighting equipment purchased was a horse-drawn hand pumper and hose cart. In 1298, the hand pumper was sold to a local farmer and a Model A Ford truck was purchased; that truck was sold to the town of Aurora to purchase a new truck in 1946. By 1958, an effort began to construct a new fire station; the station opened in 1963 and continues to serve the community today.
The present Calhoun County Courthouse was built on the square in Rockwell City in 1914. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966, both the interior and exterior have been well-preserved and the building has seen minimal changes since its original construction. A number of restoration projects began in 1982, including stripping and varnishing of the oak woodwork, implementation of a new tile ceiling, and a cleaning and restoration of the beautifully unique stained glass dome ceiling.
This modest metal-sided building houses the post office in the Woodbury County community of Bronson. Postal service was first established in January 1902, less than two months after the town was established by the Western Town Lot Company. The town was named for Ira D. Bronson, who had recently moved to the area from Kansas.
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