Senate Resolution 167

PAG LIN

  1  1                SENATE RESOLUTION NO.    
  1  2                       BY  ANGELO
  1  3 A Resolution honoring the town of Afton on its
  1  4    sesquicentennial anniversary year.
  1  5    WHEREAS, the town of Afton was platted in 1854 with
  1  6 a center block=square park on land owned by E. A.
  1  7 Temple of Chariton, and every alternate lot was
  1  8 donated to the county to be sold and the proceeds
  1  9 spent for the erection of public buildings; and
  1 10    WHEREAS, Mrs. Temple named the town either from the
  1 11 song "Flow Gently, Sweet Afton" or for the River Afton
  1 12 in Scotland; and
  1 13    WHEREAS, church services held in a private home in
  1 14 1855 heralded the beginning of the Methodist Church in
  1 15 Afton, and on July 4, 1855, a flagpole was raised and
  1 16 a flag made by the town's ladies flew proudly; and
  1 17    WHEREAS, Afton was the county seat for Union County
  1 18 from 1855 until 1890; and
  1 19    WHEREAS, the first house in Afton, built in 1855 by
  1 20 David Fife, was constructed of logs and used both as a
  1 21 dwelling and a store, stocked with goods brought by
  1 22 wagon from St. Joseph, Missouri; a two=story log hotel
  1 23 was built the same year, followed by a post office in
  1 24 1856 and the first courthouse in 1857; and
  1 25    WHEREAS, in the summer of 1859, The Afton Eagle
  1 26 became Union County's first newspaper, followed in
  1 27 1871 by a second newspaper, The Afton News, which was
  1 28 the forerunner of the current Afton Star=Enterprise;
  1 29 and
  1 30    WHEREAS, in 1867, D. J. Spencer established a
  2  1 brickyard west of town that was in operation for 50
  2  2 years and produced the bricks for many of the
  2  3 buildings in Afton and nearby Creston, including the
  2  4 "new" courthouse built in 1872 on Afton's town square;
  2  5 and
  2  6    WHEREAS, the railroad known as the Burlington and
  2  7 Missouri River Road, now the Burlington Northern,
  2  8 arrived in 1868; and
  2  9    WHEREAS, in 1954, the Afton Centennial Celebration,
  2 10 held in conjunction with the Union County Fair, was
  2 11 attended by an estimated 15,000 people and featured
  2 12 Governor William S. Beardsley as the evening speaker,
  2 13 as well as a large parade, a beef barbeque, local
  2 14 ladies in long skirts, a whisker competition for the
  2 15 local men, window displays, a period clothing style
  2 16 show, and a local talent show, with fireworks closing
  2 17 out the day; and
  2 18    WHEREAS, the town of Afton is located in Union
  2 19 County, near highways 34 and 69, and in close
  2 20 proximity to Three Mile Lake which, with its 24 miles
  2 21 of shoreline, provides not only water and wildlife
  2 22 recreation, but flood control and a source of water
  2 23 for surrounding communities; and
  2 24    WHEREAS, today Afton has a population of 917, with
  2 25 402 households, and boasts four churches, several
  2 26 social and service organizations, a golf club,
  2 27 thriving local businesses, and a very efficient
  2 28 volunteer fire and rescue unit; and
  2 29    WHEREAS, Afton is celebrating its 150th anniversary
  2 30 on June 26, 2004, in conjunction with the annual
  3  1 Lion's Pre=Fourth Celebration on June 27, and all
  3  2 former and current residents and friends are invited
  3  3 to attend and celebrate their heritage; NOW THEREFORE,
  3  4    BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, That the Senate
  3  5 recognizes and extends its congratulations to the town
  3  6 of Afton on the town's sesquicentennial anniversary
  3  7 and for its 150 years of service to its citizens and
  3  8 to the State of Iowa.
  3  9 LSB 7094SS 80
  3 10 dea/sh/8