Postal service was established in the Kossuth County town of Lone Rock on March 26, 1896, with the first office located inside George Munch’s general store. Evelyn Earing holds the distinction of being the town’s longest tenured postmaster, operating the office from 1923 until 1965. Shortly after her retirement, the post office was moved to its current location on the east side of Maine Street.
The First Presbyterian Church was first organized in the unincorporated Kossuth County community of Irvington on October 8, 1889 with sixteen charter members. First services were held in the local school house, though construction began on a standalone church building shortly after. The church has never had a resident minister, but instead was served by Presbyterian pastors from nearby towns of LuVerne, Livermore, Burt and Algona.
Two small additions were added to the church in 1972, and the Sanctuary and Annex were completely redecorated in 1975. Services are held Sundays at 8:30 a.m.
In 1872, construction began on the second Kossuth County Courthouse, which featured a 72-foot high tower constructed at a cost of $40,000. By the 1930s, though, the building was labeled a fire hazard by numerous grand jury inspections. The building was structurally sound, but constantly-oiled wood floors, piles of paper records in the basement, and general deterioration made the building vulnerable to fire.
Following the second World War, the board of supervisors called for an election to issue $500,000 worth of bonds to construct a new courthouse. A vote was taken September 9, 1947, and carried with a 2-to-1 margin. High material costs prevented immediate construction, giving the county time to carefully consider plans for the new building. An architect was hired in 1952 after the board determined further use of the 1872 building was out of question.
Plans were drawn, and a construction bids were accepted in early 1953. By spring, county offices were moved to a temporary quarters and the old courthouse was torn down. Construction on the new Kossuth County Courthouse began in August 1953, and the facility was ready to be occupied by March 1955. The building’s exterior consists of light brick with steel-enforced concrete and accenting stone.
The old courthouse and hand-carved “Court House 1872″ stone were preserved from the old building. They are mounted on the east part of the square.
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.
Postal service was established in the Kossuth County town of Lakota in December 1892, though at that time the community was known as Germania due to the large German population. During World War I, the name was changed due to anti-German sentiments. The town was renamed Lakota, which means “allies” in the Teton dialect spoken by Sioux indians who once occupied the area.