Local residents were disappointed in August 2000 when the former Commercial Federal Bank chain announced it was closing the branch office in downtown Hanlontown in Worth County, Iowa. The office, which featured an impressive vault and marble teller station inside its two-story lobby, was built in 1920 as Citizens State Bank. It changed hands three times between 1981 and 1998 prior to the 2000 closure. The bank also closed its branch in nearby Kensett.
Fortunately, two charitable foundations purchased the building and donated it to the Worth County Historical Society. It is now home to the Citizens Savings Bank Museum, open Sunday afternoons June through August. Visitors can appreciate the historic interior while perusing a growing collection of Hanlontown cultural and economic artifacts.
Postal service was established in the Wayne County, Iowa, community of Promise City in August 1856. When service was discontinued in the nearby towns of Clio and Millerton in 2006, Promise City became the smallest city in the county with an active post office location. The 2000 census indicated 105 residents, down from a peak population of 274 in 1910.
The single-screen Graind Theatre in Greenfield was constructed in 1927, at a cost of $15,000. Considered state-of-the-art at time of construction, the theatre featured a number of amenities including sloping floors, comfortable seats, and air conditioning. The theatre shows first-run movies daily except Mondays, with matinees on Saturdays and Sundays.
The Rockwell City Public Library vacated its 100-year-old Carnegie Library location in favor of a new shared Library and Community Center building in August 2008. The modern $2.6 million facility provided substantially more square footage for books and technology, handicapped accessibility, increased natural lighting, and more. Fortunately, the former library did not stay vacant long, as local entrepreneurs Randy and Cindy Patterson purchased the building from the city in 2009. They’ve repurposed the space into a seasonal antique and gift shop; for info, call (712) 887-0621.
The small Hometown Foods grocery store chain was established in 1996, when Iowa City resident Lyndon Johnson purchased an independent grocery store in the Grundy County town of Conrad, Iowa. Prior to the new store ownership venture, Johnson had spent his entire career in the grocery business, working in a variety of roles in stores across the state from Muscatine to Dubuque to Ottumwa.
Next, Johnson purchased the grocery store in Gladbrook in adjacent Tama County in 2000. Since opening the Gladborook store, the successful chain has added for more stores and now has a presence in Waterloo, Hubbard, State Center, and Baxter. In 2010, he was recognized by the Iowa Grocery Industry Association as Retailer of the Year. The Gladbrook and other stores are open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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