Hartford

Hartford, Richland Township, was the first town established in Warren County in 1849 by John Dixon Hartman. He was a native of Mansfield, Ohio. He named the town “Hart,” for himself, and “ford” because goods shipped into town had to cross a ford in the Des Moines river. Mr. Hartman was a merchant and justice of the peace, as well as a saw-mill operator. He built the first frame house in Hartford, which was lost to fire in 1855.
The Citizens of Hartford were able to maintain their town during the great flood, which washed out Dudley. It rained every day from May 9th to June 26th, 1851.
In 1859 the Three-Rivers Post Office was established. Dr. J. Huff was the first postmaster. Population in 1854 was 172.

Taken from The HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY, IOWA 1879.

Pandora Club - Then and Now
During World War II the group began to devote time to Red Cross work, making woolen comforters, gowns, bathrobes, petticoats, pillows and handkerchiefs. The members reported news of friends and relatives in the service. When the war was over, they continued to send Christmas packages to boys in the armed forces.
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Local Artist Donates Piece-
Must See To Appreciate
When local wood carver Don Van Ekeren offered to make a piece of art especially for the Carlisle Area Historical Society we jumped at the chance.
Please click the photo to see a larger image and to read more.





The School Year Begins
The beginning of the school year usually evokes the memory of a favorite teacher, or some happy classroom experience. Dr. Lloyd “Eric” Miller does just that in this picture. Mrs. Martens, his first and second grade teacher at the Hartford School, taught the only art there was, according to his memory. “Just before Easter we made large pussy willows out of construction paper and taped them onto the east windows of our room. Our cozy classroom was filled with spring, and I was convinced the pussy willows protected us from lightning.” He said that her teaching inspired him and it had a great deal to do with his entering the field of art. Dr. Miller is a retired professor of Art from Towson University in Baltimore, and was a visiting professor at Johns Hopkins University, where he specialized in modern art history, Picasso to the present. He is a native of Palmyra, Iowa, where his great-great grandfather, Elias Myrick settled in 1845.

Lydia Jackson Myrick = No Shrinking Violet
South of Hartford is a little cemetery commonly known as Black Cemetery, named for Samuel Black. Its presence has been made known to us by Lloyd Eric Miller.We found very old headstones, and markers of the Myrick family, ancestors of Lloyd. His great, great, grandfather, Elias Myrick (1800-1863) had said he wanted to be buried on the spot where he had met Samuel Black. His headstone and that of other Myricks can be found there. There is also a small area which is a children’s burying place.Lloyd’s great, great, grandmother, Lydia Jackson Myrick (1806 to 1903), was originally from Maine. She and Elias had several children before he came to Iowa. In 1846 Lydia brought the younger children to join their oldest daughter, Roxie, and Elias. They traveled by covered wagon from Indiana. Elias had already staked out land and built a log cabin in the Hartford/Palmyra area. Lydia urged her husband to build a log school. Lydia was no “shrinking violet.” She had children that needed to be educated in this new country. The family understood that Lydia always had her own horse and buggy, and in later years would travel all over Iowa to visit her grandchildren. In 1903 at age 97, she had driven alone, by horse and buggy, to visit her youngest son, Alva. She took ill and died in Bluff City, Kansas and was buried there. She had wanted to be buried by her husband in Black Cemetery, but conditions made that impossible. This brave pioneer woman had out-lived Elias by 40 years. She was able to become acquainted with her great-grandchildren who considered her to be a person “way ahead of her time.” Lloyd’s picture shows Lydia visiting her husband’s grave at Black Cemetery. It is evening and the fireflies have just come out. Pat Reynolds tells us that there is a tombstone in Black Cemetery which has the names of two men: Warren and Irving James. They went to the Civil War and did not return. Neither is buried there. One of the men died in battle and the other died at Andersonville.


Read the stories by clicking on the clickable areas of the sentences below.

Mysterious disappearances 1, 2, and 3-posted July 26th, 2009

Miller Attended School in Hartford - posted June 19th, 2009

Hartford's Gazebo - posted February 27th, 2008