RECOLLECTIONS

In the early years from the late 1890s and beginning of the 1900s, Osceola didn’t have electric lights, running water inside, gas for heating and cooking, paving or modern conveniences. The streets were dirt and the coal oil lamp used to see, read and cook, and eat ones meals, and retire to bed at night, usually on the second floor of the home in those days.

The old original two story red brick county Courthouse, with county offices in the ground floor and courtroom using the second floor, the courtroom also being the meeting place for county and city business and the local band. Some band members were local merchants, and other lines of work. Band rehearsals usually took place in the courtroom one night a week preparing for the one night a week concert held in the bandstand in the park during the summer months.

The bandstand was a small wood structure and was used many years until a new concrete stucco and tile one was built before the First World War years and used many years for concerts and other outdoor speaking and entertainment such as the 4th of July. The bandstand was located northeast of the County Courthouse. There were several large trees around the park giving nice shade, and benches, probably wood, for people to sit on, iron ones late.

Tame squirrels ran around the ground and scampered up nearby trees being fed by people resting on the benches. Posts and rope or wire used to tie horse and wagon, horse and buggy team’s also single horse and saddle when people from the country came to town to take care of county or court business or do their trading in the stores around the square.

Gas and electric service throughout the city from the local plant on East Cass, sewer and city water, city lights, streets brick paved and other modern conveniences came later.

The railroad area in the heyday or golden days of the steam trains were the main way of travel during the late 1890’s continuing into the early 1900’s for several years until the economic crash of the early 1920’s. After the First World War years train service began to slow and some trains were taken off, one in particular the Des Moines, and Kansas City short line that serviced small towns from Des Moines to Kansas City. It ran through Osceola twice in the morning, also twice in the afternoon and returned to Osceola around 6 p.m. each day of the week except Sunday bringing passengers to catch a main line passenger east or west train also exchange of mail and baggage.

After unloading the DM-KC train would switch around to head back to Des Moines after one of the east bound main line trains on the Burlington railroad, known as No. 2, one of several passenger trains that made Osceola a regular stop east or west each day. There were several passenger trains, also fast freight as well as local trains. The southern train service stopped, tracks were removed when the auto buses and airplanes came.

The first motorized taxi, a 1914 Model T Ford, operated in Osceola around 1914 was owned and operated by Bill Kerns, a local resident, father of Ray and Herman Kerns and grandfather of Evelyn Kerns Pritchard of Osceola. The motorized taxi replaced the horse and dray bus used by the Howe Hotel to transport guests to and from the depot.