Postal service came to the Jasper County town of Mingo in December 1883. Mail volume in the growing community warranted two deliveries daily to the post office by 1910; that year, revenue from the office exceeded $800. In 2008, the post office moved to the former home of Mingo Trust and Savings Bank. The high rent associated with the upgraded facilities nearly led to an emergency closure of the Mingo Post Office. Town officials averted the closure by purchasing the old bank building and significantly reducing the monthly rent.
The Mingo United Methodist Church can trace its history to the hamlet of Greencastle, a mile to the southeast of the Jasper County town of Mingo. When the railroad choose a route through Mingo instead of Greencastle, store, homes, and the Methodist Church moved north. In 1898, the current church was constructed, a block east of the downtown area. The building has seen a number of upgrades since opening, including a 1967 addition of a kitchen, nursery room and new classrooms. The church shares a pastor with the United Methodist Church in the nearby unincorporated town of Farrar.
As the first settler of the Palo Alto hamlet south of the Jasper County seat of Newton, Mr. Thomas Rees had long envisioned a church building near the local cemetery. He didn’t live to see his dream, but his wife purchased a piece of property across from the cemetery and donated it to a group planning to construct a United Presbyterian Church between Newton and Reasnor. Construction began on February 14, 1870; the church was finished, furnished, and dedicated by the end of the year.
The interior was remodeled when a new organ was installed in 1890. The church continued regular services until 1921, when the members disbanded and mostly transferred to the United Presbyterian Church in Newton. Though rarely used today, the church continues to be maintained by trustees elected annually by the Newton congregation.
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.
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.
Featuring a new Iowa photo each weekday; dedicated to discovering and documenting the best of small-town Iowa.
