Anamosa - A Reminiscence 1838 - 1988

{Q
...__
-_
aw
Q1
'
. “Jan-__
QQ
?
O
-1|-‘ Q
..., §
-1*! 9‘
awi
,. ‘>0?,M‘:,_i$
1' 1'. -
Garnaviilo and Carroll Streets intersection
(Submitted by Kathleen and Larry J. Conmey.)
dirt, or gravel.
The Committee on Streets reported that the stone
could be obtained from William Dunning at the
following prices: 16 in. wide an 8 in. thick at 30 cents a
ft.: stone 12 in. wide and 8 in. thick at 25 cents a ft.
In 1867. Patrick Keefe was appointed city surveyor.
to replace R.O. Peters. Prior to Peters, W.O. Marsh held
that position. (Keefe and his father-in-law, Benjamin
Chaplin, built the home at 300 North Ford St.)
In 1867, an ordinance extended the walks, on the
east side of Garnaviilo, from First to Sixth St.
With the sidewalks being taken care of, to a great
extent. the town of 1,500, or so. souls. attained the
dignity of an important metropolis. and acquired a
street sprinkler. The streets would only be taken care of
as far west as Sales St.. much to the ire of the
‘downtowners’. When the rains quit, and the sun came
out, the dust was intolerable. The editor reported that
Anamosa had dust in the shops, stores and everywhere.
And that the people had to ‘snuff it, chew it. and
swallow it‘.
In 1871. Main St. was first macadamized, (five years
later it too, was re-covered with mud.) East of Cleveland
St.. Main St. had to be raised nearly six feet.
The massive stones that were installed, in place of
the pine sidewalks in front of Anamosa‘s markets and
shops. were 10 ft. X 5 ft. and weighed 4500 lbs. and
many came from the Henry Dearborn quarry. However.
the ones in front of the new opera house came from the
Green quarries. The largest weighed over five ton. They
lasted for nearly 80 years.
In 1880. Warden Martin Heisey arranged with the
city to provide stone chips from the building of the
penitentiary for the east end of Main St. The city and
state benefited. as the warden was glad to get rid of
them, and the city bought them at 60-65 cents a yard.
In 1885, Carroll St. between High and Garnaviilo was
macadamized, and over-laid with black cinders from
the penitentiary engines. Cinders were also used on a
large number of Strawberry Hill streets. This covering
made the streets smooth as a floor. until you were
thrown out of a buggy and had the black things
imbedded in your skin.
In 1890, board and plank sidewalks were still being
built on the side streets. and merchants were
complaining about the slippery. stone sidewalks in the
winter.
The icy conditions were remedied by laying planks
-n
I
‘1..l‘__ Q
aria‘
._ I.I i1,."-I-- I0;‘ I‘-“fir .., U._‘§_‘f .
East Main Street. looking west, taken about 1910.
(Pl‘l0!0 Slibmifted by G16-‘Fl J- Md-aughllfl)
over the stone or concrete walks. This was done when
the first flakes fell. and were left covered until spring.
That year an ordinance was passed establishing a
speed limit between Davis and Sales Sts. The top speed.
before becoming a law-breaker. and paying a $5 to
$100 fine, was 6 mph. The speed limit on other streets
was 8 mph.
In 1897. a safer way of building sidewalks was
suggested. This was due to the numerous occasions
when two people were walking side by side. and one
stepped on an end of a loose board. causing it to tip up.
and tripping the companion. It was felt that the boards
should not project beyond the stringers.
By 1904, the sidewalk ordinance called for the
installation of permanent cement, or stone walks.
In 1921, much of the massive stone sidewalks on
Main St. were taken out and replaced, using concrete.
by an out-of-town concrete company. Two teams of
horses were required to pull the large stones out of
place. Many of these were placed in the alleys behind
the stores.
The new sidewalks had defects in them two years
later and the city attorney. George Lawrence. was
instructed to bring suit on the bonds. but it was learned
the bonding company had dissolved.
In the summer of 1906, the first brick paving was
installed. On the space where the cross streets were. the
brick was laid diagonally. as the pull by teams of horses
was both east and west. and north and south. The brick
was laid on edge. imbedded in two inches of sand,
under which was a bed of 4 inches of concrete. A
coating of sand was swept over the surface of the brick
and the final touch was going over it with a large iron
roller.
About that time the horseless carriages first put in an
appearance. but, by 1908. about 40 automobile owners
were found in the Anamosa area. The horses were
beginning to accept them without throwing the buggy
riders into the gutters and ditches.
A 4-cylinder, 40 hp. Buick touring car could be
purchased for $2.700.
By 1924, Anamosans were ready for the sixth
resurfacing of streets. hoping each time that this job
would last. That year a bithulithic process was used.
which was a mixture of asphalt, cement and granite
chips. The editor of the paper compared the colors and
appearance of the streets to ‘rival Joseph's coat‘.
In 1921 the hitching posts were on the side streets
45