Postal service was established in Adair on January 2, 1874, with John E. Moran appointed first postmaster. After occupying a number of local storefronts, the post office moved to its present location in 1946. A new counter and lock boxes were installed in 1959, with significant remodeling completed in 1967.
The United Methodist Church in the Union County town of Arispe can trace its history to the 1870s, when early services were held in a rural schoolhouse. In November 1897, a committee met at the home of Arispe resident G.W. DeLay to consider raising funds to construct a permanent church facility. Funds were raised quickly, and the $1,200 church was dedicated in October 1898. On April 1, 1915 the church was destroyed by fire, and services were temporarily held in the school building.
Plans for a new church were drawn up, and Lamoni-based Charles F. Church was hired as the architect. After much work by volunteer labor, the new church was finished just 8 months and 19 days after the first building was destroyed. In 1976, new siding and doors were installed, and a special service was held to commemorate the bi-centennial of the United States. Weekly services continue to be held in the church today; it shares a pastor with United Methodist churches in Afton and Lorimor.
The Monona County town of Soldier was established by the Western Town Lot Company in 1899, nearly thirty years after postal service was first established at the site. The name comes from the nearby Soldier River, which received its name because of an anonymous U.S. soldier buried in the area. The town was formally incorporated in 1901.
Daniel Connell was the first postmaster at the Gladbrook Post Office, which debuted in the Tama County town in June 1880. Rural free delivery was first established in 1902, with early carriers traveling by horse and buggy. The post office moved to its present location in December 1, 1961, with a dedication and open house held the following year. The open house featured orange drink and coffee furnished by local businesses and the Borden Dairy. The post office has 348 boxes.
Affiliated with the United Church of Christ since 1933, brick church at Main and Third Streets in Fonda is the oldest in Pocahontas County. Constructed as a Methodist Church in 1879, the building originally cost $1,800 and consisted of a sanctuary and pastor’s study. Extensive remodeling in 1906 reshaped the entire building, with a new brick structure constructed around the original building. The church currently shares a pastor with two United Church of Christ congregations in the nearby town of Newell.