Imogene
was surveyed on November 24,1879 and recorded at Sidney on December 1,
1879. .Imogene has four streets running east and west. First Street is
the farthest street to the south followed by Second, Third and Fourth.
Contrary to longstanding thought, Imogene when platted actually had
six streets running north and south...Railroad, Main, Market, Walnut,
PINE and Cherry. There were alleys in the middle of most blocks in town
except the very southernmost on Railroad Street. The alleys and Pine
Street itself disappeared long ago.
All streets are 70' wide
except Railroad and Cherry Streets. Railroad Street is 50' wide and is
parallel to and 150' from the center line of the Council Bluffs and St.
Louis Railroad tracks. Cherry Street is bounded on the east by the east
line of Section 10 and is 54' wide at the SE corner of the town and
598/10 wide st the NE corner of block 20 and is 53 8/10' at the NE
corner of SE 1/4 of Section 10.
All alleys are 20' wide.
The Western Improvement Company of Iowa a corporation organized under the Laws of Iowa states that it is the owner and proprietor of the town of Imogene as the the same as described on this plat and that said town is located in the North half of the South East Quarter and in the South half of the North East Quarter of Section number 10 township number 70 and Range Number forty Fremont County State of Iowa and that the subdivision of said tracts is with the free consent and in accordance with the desire of said owner and proprietor. The South East corner of Lot Number Six in Block Number Seventeen is Seven hundred and seventy four and one tenth feet South and Fifty Four feet West of the North East of the South East quarter of Section Ten Township Seventy Range Forty aforesaid. In testimont whereof the said Western Improvement Company of Iowa has caused its Corporate Seal to be hereto attached and these presents to be subscribed by its President in its name and attested by its Secretary this 26 day of November 1879. Western Improvement Company of Iowa By Wells H. Blodgett, President Attest James T. How, Scy. State of Missouri City of St. Louis-Be it remembered that on this 26th day of November 1879 before me the undersigned a Commissioner for Iowa in the State of Missouri came Wells H. Blodgett President and James T. How Secretary of the Western Improvement Company of Iowa, who are personally known to me to be the same persons whose names subscribed, to the within and foregoing certificates and plat as parties thereto, and they acknowledge the same to be the voluntary act and deed of said Corporation by them as President and Secretary of said Western Improvement Company of Iowa party thereto, and they affixed the Seal of said corporation thereunto by authority of said Company and they executed the same as the voluntary act and deed of said Corporation for the purposes therein mentioned, and that the Seal so affixed is the Seal of said Corporation. In testimony whereof I have hereto set my hand, and affixed my Official Seal this 26th day of November A.D. 1879 G. S. Grover Commissioner for Iowa in State of Missouri.
IMAGINE IMOGENE IN 1879
IMAGINE A BRIGHT FUTURE FOR IMOGENE TODAY!
The western exodus of Irish and German settlers from the Zwingle/Dubuque, Iowa area to "Little Ireland" in Monroe Township began in the early 1870's. Some of these settlers had the last names Allshouse, Berigan, Bussard, Delehant, Head, Kammerer, Laughlin, Leahy, McGargill, Prangue, Saner, Scheibeler and Skahill. In 1874, Edgar Faust of Zwingle, IA purchased 320 acres of land in Fremont County-Monroe Township for $1,120. The "western exodus" from Zwingle to Monroe Township increased. By 1875, a Lutheran Cemetery was established north of the future townsite; this later became the Monroe Township Cemetery. On May 2, 1876 the Pleasant Valley Reformed Church was organized with a membership of 19. A frame church was built on a hill just west of the future townsite. Construction of a railroad between Council Bluffs and St. Louis began in 1877. By July of 1879, Superintendent of Construction Blanchard was advertising for 500 men to lay and surface track between Council Bluffs and Pattonsburg. Rates paid were: spikers-$1.60 per day, iron men-$1.55 per day, tie and splice men, surfacing, and yard men-$1.40 per day. On October 11, 1879 - The last spike was driven near Walnut Creek (about 8 miles north of Shenandoah) connecting St. Louis and Council Bluffs. Tim Minahan engineered the first train, the "Cannonball", on the Council Bluffs & St. Louis track through the "Little Ireland" area on October 15, 1879. The same day, Faust sold half of his land to the Western Improvement Company of Iowa for $4,000. The land was platted for a town site on November 5, 1879. On November 6, 1879 - Captain Anderson went to Sidney and obtained the necessary papers for a town named in honor of his daughter Imogene.
H. W. Crosswaite bought the first lot in the new town and opened a mercantile store. Later the Cahill Bank was built at this location...2nd & Railroad. J.A. Rose built the first house in Imogene at the corner of Market and Second. He brought with him a store from Solomon and Mr. Shick became his business partner. Milton Crosswaite's family was the third to settle in Imogene. On June 21,1880 - St. Patrick Catholic Church was established. A white frame church was built on the NW corner of 3rd & Walnut. The Methodist Church was also established in 1880. Services were originally held in the waiting room of the depot. A church was built on the NW corner of 2nd & Walnut. 1880 census of Imogene - 27 households and 161 people; occupations - 2 blacksmiths, 10 merchants, 5 carpenters, 1 butcher, 1 barber, 3 teamsters, 8 laborers, 2 restauranteurs, 1 hotel keeper, 1 doctor, 1 station agent, 1 livery man, 3 painters, 2 grain dealers, 1 furniture dealer, 1 saloon keeper, 1 telegraph operator, 1 druggist, 1 photographer; 36 were of Irish descent and 60 were born in Iowa
Imogene firsts: marriage - depot agent P.B. Allen and Ella Crosswaite bankers - Sexton & Alden grain buyer - Charles Kenney physician - Dr. Stone mayor - Captain L. K. Hutton school master - Mr. Grubb restaurants - Burris Restaurant, Rucker Restaurant drug store - operated by Bard Cavendar hotel - Tom Malloy; later the site of the Maher Grocery lumberyard - William Foskett - west of the railroad tracks; destroyed in the Hunter's Branch Flood of 1903 postmaster - Mr. Boyd rural mail carrier - James Carr silent movie shown in Imogene - "Across the Dead Line"-1919
1881, February 18 - The town of Imogene was incorporated.
1881-1883 - L.K. Hutton was mayor.
1884-1885 - Mayor was J. W. Alden.
July 4, 1886-August Werner, Imogene furniture maker, attempted to be the first person to fly a heavier-than-air machine off the ground. Some witnesses said he was able to get 4 feet off the ground; other witnesses disagreed. August and his wife Mattie were present for the platting of Imogene. Originally they ran a restaurant and boarding house. Then they built a house and a carpentry shop. August had success in building model helicopters. He kept increasing their size. Due to a miscalculation, his July 4th attempt to fly to Washington and then to Germany failed. This aviation visionary spent the rest of his life as a carpenter at the Clarinda Mental Institute. Some of his furniture was used in the state capitol in Des Moines.
1886-1887 - C. F. Malone was the mayor.
1887 - Imogene was the banking center for Solomon, Farmer's City and Climax.
1887-1888 - The mayor of Imogene was J. W. Dragoo. August 1888 - Noted orator, world traveler, and independently wealthy Father Edmund Hayes became pastor of St. Patrick Church. Always an Imogene promoter, he was influential in bringing more Irish settlers to Imogene and nearby farms. He long advocated Imogene having its own water supply and aided in getting electricity to Imogene. An addition to the original frame church was started in the spring of 1889.
1889-1890 - Imogene mayor was A. W. Grubb.
Imogene neighbors - Monroe Township Plat Book - 1891 Section # & Residents 1-W. J. Harper, E. A. Jenks, Oliver Bussard, Wm. Trenholm, Thomas Honn, M. J. Saner 2-P. Lawless, M.J. Cahill, Herman Fritz, Thomas Hughes, H.S. Cummins (Mapleridge Stock Farm), Monroe Township-Old Lutheran Cemetery 3-J. J. Haley, C. S. Young, Bridget O'Conner 4-Patrick O'Conner, John Laughlin, Jerry Maher, James Laughlin, School #2-Centennial 5-M.O. McArthur, John Kammerer, Dorothea Bartlett, Fred Prange, A. Bussard, George Kammerer 6-Charles Bartlett, G. J. Weihler, Louis Hetzel, M.S. Allely 7-Louis Hetzel, C. Hughes, P.M. Begley, Wm. T. Gingles, O.A. Clark, C. H. Gullinghorst, Est., E. Trively 8-School #3 - Morning Star, Mrs. A. A. Qualle, George Fishbaugh, James McGargill 9-James McGargill, Louis Harman, Margaret Leahy, M.J. Laughlin 10-E. Rogers, Edgar Faust, E.E. Hayes, town of Imogene, Euphronia Webster, J. F. Evans 11-Thomas Honn, T. J. Mills, V.J. Mills, H.M. Daykin 12-N.B. Shultz, Thomas Honn, A.S. Lake, Robert Otis, Est., J.O. Penheimer, School #1 - Spring Valley 13-C. A. Metin, H.R. Laird, J.A. Blair, C.P. Anderson 14-Chas. Gee, Mrs. E. Wilson, W.H. Wilson, Mount Calvary Cemetery, E. M. McGargill, M.R. Vaughn, School #6-Shady Dell 15-H.H. Retelsdorf, Clare Brothers, E. M. McGargill 16-M. Printy, Margaret Leahy, Rudolph Voss, Est., Emil Hulte, School #5 - Monroe Center (1st country school in Monroe Township - built in 1862), John Gilmore 17-John McGargill, J.E. Gee, Mary Gee, Thomas Skahill, P. Maher 18 - School #4 - Honey Creek, Thomas Skahill, Geo. Conrod, M. Doyle, E. C. Johnson. John Johnson 19-William C. Johnson, T. Keenan, Thomas Hughes, Sr. 20-T. J. Wilson, Martin Head (Brookridge Farm), Thomas Hughes, Sr., M. Rogers 21-M.Kent, Martin Head, M. Rogers, Geo. Fittro, H.C. Bleakly, M. Crilley 22-P.Rogers, Owen Clark, I. C. Milliken, D. Donaldson 23-Belle Love, M.R. Vaughn, mineral well, Edward Miller, Thomas Acton 24-Thomas Acton, N. H. Hefner, J.M.Grafton, J.A. Swallow, E. Thompson, Sarah A. Acton, Edward Miller 25-E. Thompson, Ann Ryan, George Parker, Sarah Acton 26-Sarah Acton, R. A. Rice, Dexter Rice, C. G. Fletcher, C.N. Stevens 27-I.S. Milliken, D. Donaldson, William J. Kennedy, Belle Love, C.G. Fletcher 28-M. Crilley, C.H. Leighty, M.M. Parrish (Peoria Stock farm), School #8-Sunny Slope 29-W. G. McBurney, Farmers City, M.E. Church, postoffice, 30-J.C. Clark, James Garrity, George Fishbaugh, School #9 -White Lily 31-Jonas Tyner, William Bird, R.W. Young, G.E.Lyvers, Jonas Tyner, Thomas Gilmore, est. 32-W.G.McBurney, M.E. Reed, Jonas Tyner, A.S. Graves 33-M.M.Parrish, J.E. Noble 34-William J. Kennedy, T.B.Bateman, J.H. Teachout, J.N. Tompkins 35-Summit, School #7-Rice, Francis Bradley, James Weir, Peter Sloan, James Sloan, Barnard Bradley 36-Robert Weir, F.G.Kent, Albert Stutt, M. Sims, A.D. Kent
1891-1892 - John Eastman was the mayor.
May 18,1892 - Almost the entire business section of Imogene along Railroad Street was destroyed by a 2am fire.
1892 - The Orphan Train made a stop in Imogene. 1892 - The population of Imogene was growing rapidly. The original St. Patrick Church was too small and was moved to the NW corner of the church property to be used as a hall. A brick church to seat 300 was built on its former location.
1893-1894 - The mayor was Charles Deppe.
1895-The baseball field was located a quarter mile south of town. The town team was called the Frilly's. Another fire destroyed many businesses in town.
1895 - The Pleasant Valley Reformed Church moved to a more desirable location in Imogene; it later became St. Paul's United Church of Christ.
1895-1896 - F. C. Ginther was the mayor.
1899 - Imogene had five churches - Catholic, Methodist, Free Methodist, German Lutheran and German Reformed.
1899-1900 - The mayor was M. M. Halbert. When 1900 dawned, several blocks of businesses made Imogene a vibrant community.
1900-In December, the 25 mile long rural mail service began operation in the Imogene area.
1901-On January 31st, a nine car emigrant train bound for Kansas stopped in Imogene. Families leaving on the train were those of H.C. Cummins, Joseph Bussard, Henry Ballinger, Marion Wax, Mose Taylor, Fred Androy and Matt Cites. A few weeks later they were joined by the Harper and Honn families. This caused the population of Imogene to decline about 50 people.
1901-1904 - Robert Trenholm was mayor.
1903 - Imogene was so prosperous that there was a scarcity of available houses to purchase in the town.
1905 - A green and gold bandstand was built on the west side of Railroad Street. The U. T. D. (Up To Date) Band played there every Wednesday evening for almost four years.
1905 - Fire destroyed buildings on the west side of Main Street. Werner's flying machine was destroyed in the fire.
1905 - The Free Methodist Church, built of white pine without a knot, located across the street to the south of the Methodist Church became the Hibernian Hall.
1905-1906 - Robert Ness was the mayor. For a time, Ed McGargill was the acting mayor.
1906-1907 - Ira Labor was the mayor. Rhodes Addy and F. M. Slarks followed as acting mayors.
1909-1910 - The mayor was George Kammerer.
1910-1911 - Robert Trenholm was the mayor.
1911-A 2:30am Fire did major damage to the Imogene business district.
1912-1913 - The mayor was Fred Borene.
1913 - On May 19th, four Imogene businesses were destroyed by a fire.
1913 - The Presbyterian Church that later became a Lutheran Church was sold to St. Patrick Church and was used for many years as a parochial school for grades 1 and 2.
1913 - In November a rail line connecting Imogene and Red Oak was completed. By 1920, the railroad ties were taken up and were being used by towns in the area as fuel.
1913-1914 - H. M. Knutsen was mayor of Imogene.
1914 - Two banks were built in Imogene. A fire destroyed two other Imogene businesses.
1914-1916 - The mayor was Ed Smalley. 1915- Around noon on February 10th smoke was seen coming from St. Patrick Church. Despite the valiant efforts of many, the church had burned to the ground by nightfall. St. Patrick Academy and the church rectory received some damage. 1915- By August work on the new and larger St. Patrick Church had begun.
1916 - Electricity came to Imogene in November. 1919 - In September, the landmark German Lutheran Church that had been used as a parochial school was torn down. Jerry Maher used the lumber for his farm buildings. 1918-1920 The St. Patrick Academy was closed after the Mercy Sisters left. Many families seeking a Catholic education for their children moved to Council Bluffs, Omaha and points west. Several did not return even after the school reopened in the fall of 1920 with Dominican teachers. 1926 - A January fire destroyed the Imogene Public School.
1927 - The Monte Carlo Dance Band played in the Hibernian Hall. Lawrence Welk was a member of the band. 1930's - Until the 1930's, the Imogene road (now J18) went north on 385th Avenue, east across a bridge, made a slight turn north on Railroad to 2nd Street, east past Main, Market, Walnut and Cherry and south to just west of Mount Calvary Cemetery. Businesses lined several streets. Despite assurances that paving the highway from Randolph to Hwy 59 would follow the same route, it did not. The paved highway no longer ran through the town of Imogene and many bypassed trading in Imogene for larger nearby towns.
1934 - The Hibernian Hall was destroyed in a fire.
1950 - The landmark red elevator along the Wabash track was torn down to make room for a new elevator just a few yards north of it.
1955 - In August there were ten business buildings on the main city block. Six of the places were vacant.
1975 - The Town/Catholic Church Bicentennial celebration began on June 29th.
1984 - In August, the first August Werner Day was celebrated by the Imogene community.
1985 - The Touring Arts Team of the Iowa Arts Council was in Imogene from July 31st to August 2nd.
1987 - The Touring Arts Team returned to Imogene on July 12th and 13th.
1988 - Reporter Mike Leonard and crew were in Imogene on January 9th to interview the city's all woman government for the NBC-TV Today Show. For many years the Wabash Depot was the hub of Imogene community life. On August 22, 1988, the Iowa Southern Railroad abandoned the 63-mile rail line between Council Bluffs and Blanchard.
1989 - Reporter Mike Leonard and his crew returned to Imogene on February 21st to do a report on August Werner and his flying machine for the NBC-TV Today Show.
1991 - Tryarts, with a membership from Fremont, Mills and Page counties, presented a Salute to the Soldiers in the Community Building on February 24th. 250 attended.
2000 Census - Population 66; 29 households, 19 families and 38 housing units. The median age was 37 and the median income per household was $41,250.
2003 - US Highway 184, just south of Imogene, was decommissioned. It was designated a US highway in 1933 and originally ran from Randolph to Hwy 275. In 1934, indications were made that the road would run through Imogene. It was extended to US Hwy 59 in 1936 but bypassed Imogene. The road is now county road J18.
2009 - On April 13th, a meeting was held to discuss the possibility of disincorporating the town of Imogene. Dorothy Colwell is the mayor of Imogene.
2009 - The Imogene town website became operational on July 1st.
2009 - The Imagine Imogene campaign to keep Imogene a town began with a softball tournament on July 18th (Champions-Swede Swingers sponsored by Crop Production Services; 2nd place -Frank Laughlin's Farm Gang; other participants - Jay Drug Team, Josh Bowen's Team, Master Batters and Clarinda Livestock Team) and a fundraising dinner (about 280 served) and Silent Auction at the Shenandoah Elks on July 19th.
2009 - November 3 - Don Oldenburg was elected mayor. Those elected to the town council were Dorothy Colwell, Angela Pelster and Chris Pelster.
2009 - November 14 - The Emerald Isle hosted a 130th birthday party for the town of Imogene. There was a hayrack ride around town - to all the historic places. This was followed by a bonfire, hot dogs, S'Mores and more. Memorabilia was on display. The mild November night left people with many more Imogene memories.
2009-December 24 & 25 - A blizzard developed over Imogene and a wide area of the midwest in the early afternoon of December 24th. No Christmas Eve or Christmas day services were held at St. Patrick Church. Town fires, the desire to keep pioneering west, lack of a town water supply and sewer system, economic downturns, and smaller families all helped the population of Imogene decline to 56 in 2010.
2010-May 22 & 23-A town cleanup day was held. Imogene was alive with people again!
2010-July 10 & 11 - The Sons & Daughters of Imogene sponsored the first Shamrock Days. This was a well-attended event.
2014 - January 13 Kevin Olson became the mayor of Imogene. 2014-A new Imogene sign, with solar panels for lighting, was erected at the south edge of town.
2014-May17 - The annual town cleanup was a success. A local 4-H group painted the ballfield bleachers white. 2014-May 18-Railroad ties were added to the Imogene sign for future landscaping. 2014-May 23-A dance was held under a tent erected between the two former bank buildings.