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In 1895, Frank Phillips moved from his parents’
farm near Conway, Iowa to the nearby town of Creston, where he was
employed at A. B. Tucker’s Climax Barber Shop. It wasn’t long
before he purchased the shop and enjoyed his reputation as a skilled
barber. He met and married Jane Gibson, the daughter of one of
Creston’s most successful bankers. Frank and Jane made Creston
their home until 1905 when they moved to Bartlesville, Oklahoma.
Creston began as a railroad town, built on the
summit or “crest” of the prairie. It was the highest point on
the Burlington Railroad line between the Missouri and Mississippi
rivers. A large railroad complex was located there, including
an impressive roundhouse. It was a main agricultural center,
and the Blue Grass League of Southwestern Iowa erected a huge “Blue
Grass Palace”, built entirely of native grasses. The Palace
served as an exhibit center for agricultural and manufactured
products in the area. Public expositions were held there and
the railroad ran special trains at a reduced rate for visitors.
By 1895, Creston boasted a population of about
6,000 with all of the amenities and comforts a bustling town could
provide. The photos in this gallery are of Creston as it
looked in 1892.
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"Souvenir of Creston, Iowa 1892", W. A. Robb, Publisher |
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Blue Grass Palace, Lincoln School Second Ward, and Lake Park |
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Photographic view of engines C.B. & Q. R.R. in Creston Yards, Court House, and C.B. & Q. R.R. Shops |
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Summit Lake and Creston Wwater Works, |
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R. S. Beyemer, H. P. Armitage and John Cherry homes, along with Afton Normal and Business College |
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Private residences of Thos. McGrath, L. J. Camp, Chas. Athearn, Jno. S. Black, Col. Wm. Jones, B. B. Hall, Rev. Allen Van Wagoner, and Joseph Norton |
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Private residences of Al. McDowell, A. B. Devoe, B. F. Heinly, Albert Dunlap, Judge S. R. Davis, Geo. R. Johnson, W. G. Fogg, and B. N. Torrey |
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S. A. Bowers Jewelry Store, A. B. Henry's Drug Store, Fuller Block, Bennison Bros. Dry Goods, B. J. Schorr's Restaurant, Patt's Opera House |
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Private residences: Hon. Thos. L. Maxwell, J. H. Patt, Rev. L. N. Lafferty, James Ferman, J. M. McCornack, Col. S. D. Swan, and W. D. McDonald |
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Private residences: C. H. Fuller, Geo. J. Delmege, J. C. Woodruff, D. Davenport, Judge James W. McDill, E. C. Lucas, John Bennison and W. F. Patt |
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Private Residences: E. D. Butcher, Col. John O. Keeffe, H. S. Clarke, C. M. Dunn, A. R. Fuller and W. M. Scott |
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J. H. Patt Block, J. W. Bagley Block, Deer Block, Reynold's Block, Iowa State Savings Bank, J. W. Bagley & Co's Drug Store, H. E. Leonard's New Block, |
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Churches: First United Presbyterian, Congregational, New Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, First Baptist, Christian, Catholic Parochial School |
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Creston from tower of the Blue Grass Palace, view of Maple Street looking north, new high school building, view of Montgomery Street looking west. |
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List of Creston businessmen and occupations. |
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