Green Bay was rapidly becoming a settlement about the time Osceola was founded in 1851. A post office, store, boarding house and several homes were built. A church was built and a cemetery plotted. Green Bay was three miles south of Leslie. Leslie had a rail depot. When ownership of the railroad changed, the facility was moved in 1888 to Green Bay, however, by 1891 it was moved back to Leslie.
Green Bay Township is in the first tier of townships. Green Bay did not have any large streams, but was well watered by several small creeks, among them the Chariton River, White Breast, Camp and Jack Creeks all taking their rise along the western boundary of the Township. Timber was found along nearly all of the principal streams. After the railroad was completed, large quantities of pine lumber was used for fending purposes. Good material for the manufacture of brick was obtained in many places throughout the township, and good sand for building purposes was found in nearly all the streams.
William Mardis of Green Bay was a brick mason and contractor. He burned brick for four brick houses in Green Bay and built some of the oldest buildings in the county. Among them, the old Mintonye Hall, West Ward School house, Wesley Jonson’s brick residence and Reuben Johnson’s house. He worked on nearly all of the brick structures in and around Osceola for many years.
Dr. Jerome Bartlett of Green Bay was the county’s first physicians and one of the first settlers coming to Green Bay in 1851. He practiced medicine until he died in 1864. The population of Green Bay Township steadily increased.
Thomas Keenan of Ohio was also one of the first settlers coming from Ohio to Iowa. His family started to Clarke County by team. While crossing the Chariton River, one of the horses broke through the ice and it was with great difficulty that the team and heavily loaded wagon got out of the river.
One of the first settlers was Evison Ellis, who later became the first Sheriff in Clarke County.
When on thinks of Green Bay Cemetery, they think of the large stone of William and Brittania Mardis, shaped like a log cabin. In 1906, this large gravestone was installed, weighing 9,000 pounds. It was moved by the Horney brothers with a threshing machine.