Residents of the Humboldt County community of Rutland celebrated in August 1967 when Postmaster General Lawrence F. O’Brien announced that a contract had been awarded to remodel the interior of the Rutland Post Office building. Air-conditioning was added to the 475-square-foot building, which still serves as the community post office today. A few minor changes have been made since 1967, including the addition of the ramp, a permanent flag pole and installation of a full-size mailbox.
The First Baptist Church in the Butler County town of Shell Rock was organized in a school house with 12 founding members on January 18, 1864. A permanent facility for the church was built at the cost of $5,500 and dedicated debt-free in 1872. Three years later, an 1,000-pound bell was installed. Not only does the church continue to operate from the 140-year-old building, the bell still rings, and three of nine evergreen trees planted in 1872 remain in the church lot. Pastor Alan Dicks came to First Baptist in 2006; services are held each Sunday morning, plus Sunday and Wednesday evenings.
A community meeting was held on September 28, 1970, when two-dozen residents met to discuss the formation of a public library in Chelsea. A library committee was created shortly after the meeting, and fundraising began to establish a new library. After two years in a temporary location, the committee purchased the Chelsea Savings Bank building for use as a library when the bank decided to construct a new facility. An open house was held in the new library/city hall on June 10, 1973.
The Wadena Savings Bank was organized in 1906 with a capitol investment of $10,000. After two locations within other buildings, a permanent structure for the bank was completed in December 1920. Like numerous other banks across the state and country, the Wadena Savings Bank folded during the Great Depression, closing in 1931. After five years without a financial institution, the Elgin State Bank opened a branch in the Wadena Savings Bank building. Open four hours daily, the bank branch office continues to serve the Fayette County community of Wadena today.
Construction began on the new Montgomery County Courthouse in Red Oak in 1890, and the new structure was officially dedicated July 4 the following year. Ten thousand or more visitors came to see the new brick and sandstone structure, which had a 91-foot by 72-foot footprint and stood over 60 feet high. At over 100 feet tall, the clock tower may be the most distinguishing feature of the Romanesque courthouse, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.