Carlisle's First Mayor

This was the home of Robert A. Nicholson, first mayor of Carlisle. The house still stands, with some changes at 2nd and Main. Mr. Nicholson had much to do with the beginnings of Carlisle, and his influence and love for this community continues 100 years after his death. His granddaughter, Mary Beymer Adams, left money to be used for historical purposes. It was this money that helped the newly formed Carlisle Area Historical Society purchase the house at 245 Penn, later named the Randleman House, in October of 2007. Robert A. Nicholson was born in 1831 in Northumberland County, England, and emigrated to the United States in 1847. He lived in Ohio and Illinois before settling in Des Moines and then Carlisle. He married Mary Ann Garton of Surrey, England in 1856. They raised a family of 5 boys and 2 girls: William, Frank, Harriett, Albert, Robert, Arthur and Grace. (Mary’s mother.) Tragically, a baby, John Ross, died after falling from a high chair in 1862. (picture of Nicholson family) After buying the Carlisle Flouring Mill in 1863, he made improvements and operated it under the name of R. Nicholson Flouring Mill. A fire in 1888 destroyed the business district of Carlisle, as well as the Mill. (picture of flour mill) Mr. Nicholson then bought a smaller mill and ran it until he retired in 1905. The mill was a major employer in Carlisle, especially for Teamsters, before the railroad came through. The mill was steam powered by a 40 h. p. engine. The furnace burned either coal or wood to heat the boiler. Farmers from Ames and other towns came to have their wheat ground at the mill. This was especially important when other water-powered mills could not run during the dry season. In addition to becoming Carlisle’s first mayor, Mr. Nicholson served on the school board as President and treasurer, and was a strong supporter of the Carlisle Baptist Church for over fifty years. He died in 1910 and is buried in Woodland Cemetery in Des Moines. From notes by Dennis Wendell curator, Ames Historical Society.