In 1844, a group of early settlers organized the Church of Christ two miles north of the unincorporated Jefferson County town of Abingdon. After meeting in homes for two years, a frame building was constructed in 1846. No dedicated pastor served the church in its early days; rather, services were led by congregation members. An 1855 record shows a membership count exceeding 250.
The building was moved by oxen to its present plot of land in 1867, though a brick church building was erected shortly after. It served the congregation until 1899, when the present church was constructed at a cost of $1800. The building was dedicated debt-free on October 29, 1899.
In 1846, Henry Crease was one of several founders to establish the Jefferson County town now known as Batavia. Originally named Creaseville, citizens successfully petitioned for a name change on January 19, 1853. While the reason for the new moniker isn’t known, it could be from the Illinois city of Batavia.
Postal service was established in the Jefferson County community of Packwood in 1883. When the local Farmer’s Savings Bank moved to a new building in 1918, the post office moved to the bank’s old building, which was constructed 30 years earlier. The facility housed the post office for 55 years before moving to its current location. The pictured brick post office building was dedicated March 15, 1974.
Quakers arrived at the Jefferson County town of Pleasant Plain in the 1930s, with the first meetings held in a modest log cabin. A larger building was constructed in 1850, with significant additions constructed around 1890. A few years later, a bell from the Presbyterian Church was given and in turn, the belfry was added. The church continues to operate today, with services held Sundays at 10:30.
Built between 1890 and 1893 at a cost of $74,000, the Jefferson County Courthouse sits a block north of the square in downtown Fairfield, Iowa. The courthouse, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981, is constructed of Cleveland gray sandstone and red brick.
Like many courthouses in the state, changes to the building have centered around the clock tour. In 1948, a violent wind storm damaged the 36-foot steeple on the clock tower, and county supervisors voted to remove the steeple to save the expense required for repairs. Lifelong Fairfield resident Lee Gobble successfully renewed an effort to restore the steeple, which has now been a part of the clock tower since 2004.
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