The Transcript was short-lived, however, and in 1889 E.J. Sidey established the Adair County Democrat. The Democrat later changed its name to the Adair County Free Press and is still published today; still owned and operated by the Sidey family. It has occupied its present location just east of the Greenfield Square since 1903; the same year the jail, also still in use, was built two blocks to the east.
Dan Heaton and his wife came to Greenfield sometime prior to 1875. In December of that year, they opened a bank, the Adair County Bank, on the north side of the square. The institution continues today as the Greenfield branch of First National Bank, Fontanelle and Greenfield.
The Citizens Bank of Greenfield was organized on January 2, 1880, with C.D. Bevington as president; A.P. Littleton as cashier; and John J. Hetherington, assistant cashier. In 1900, it became the First National Bank, and then was lost during the Depression of the 1930s.
The city was incorporated in 1876 with A.P. Littleton as the first mayor and S.E. Vance, Charles Burrell, J.A. Myers, T.J. Shinn and D. Patterson on the first city council.
The first permanent church structure was erected in 1877 by the Methodist congregation. The United Presbyterian Church soon followed in 1881. The Baptist church in 1883 and the Presbyterian in 1884 came next.
A mill was built across the street from A. P. Littleton's in 1877 that proved to be a complete failure. It was sold on sheriff's sale to Littleton and torn down. In 1884 J.R. Kearney erected a steam gristmill with a capacity of producing 50 barrels of flour. The 36 x 40 feet, three story mill cost $8,000.
The Little Jay Creamery was established as a dairy in September 1883 and merged into a creamery in 1884.
The bustling town was struck by tragedy in 1883, when fire broke out in the back of J.W. Valentine's bakery on the south section of the east side of the square. The fire was discovered about 5 a.m. An alarm was sounded, but Greenfield at that time had no fire organization or facilities. Fortunately, there was little wind and a light rain was falling.
Still, the fire soon spread to the stable behind the bakery, then north to the meat market, the barbershop, the land office, and the courthouse. At the same time, it leaped across the alley south to the stable of the Methodist parsonage. It then moved westward, threatening another entire quarter block of Greenfield businesses. But quick and diligent work of a bucket brigade kept a steady stream of water flowing and only three buildings of the south side of the square were destroyed.
After
the fire, the town rebuilt. The courthouse was replaced with one built
by the county, not nearly as fine as the city-built structure destroyed
by the fire. The building was often referred to as the "sheep shed."
By the end of the 19th Century, Greenfield was a bustling
town with a population of 1,200. Businesses lined the square and culture
and education were important facets of prairie life.
The Greenfield Electric Light Plant began electrifying
the town in 1890, one of the few in the state at the time. The lights
were on from sundown to 11 p.m. daily, and 5 a.m. to sun-up in the winter.
The first local telephone system was established
in 1896 with about 20 telephones on the line.
It was in this environment that E.E. Warren, the owner
of a dry goods store, and his wife, Eva, built theE.E.Warren
Opera House on the east side of the Square in 1896. The three-story
structure with its decorative turret has dominated the Greenfield skyline
for over 100 years.
In its early years, the Opera House hosted traveling
theatrical troupes, medicine shows, musical productions and local theatre.
Mrs. Warren was a stanch supporter of the arts and an accomplished musician
in her own right.
The upper floors of the building gradually declined
in usage, but the ground floor remained in use as retail space until
1990. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
The first move to establish a public
library in Greenfield also took place in 1896, but it was not until
1916 that the task was finally accomplished with the help of the Progress
Club. The building on the corner of South First Street and Highway 92
was built for that use with funds provided by the Andrew Carnegie Foundation.
The library building remained in use until 1997 when
the library and city hall moved into new accommodations across the street.
The Greenfield Square and eight adjoining city blocks
were paved in 1911 and the hitching chain was removed. The following
year, about a mile of paved streets were added. By 1955, the city had
more than 100 blocks of paved streets.
According to the 1915 History of Adair County, "A
visitor to Greenfield will find a town which has had a steady growth
without the usual boom. They will find a town whose property has been
born by the energy, enterprise and enthusiasm of the west, guided and
controlled by the safe conservatism of men of wise perceptions. Greenfield
is a thriving little city of wide-awake, enterprising citizens. The
business portion of the town never appears dull to the observer. Life
and property are valued and well established and maintained, and with
good society, healthy and delightful climate, good location of the city
as to drainage, railroad, telephone, telegraph and mail facilities,
good schools and churches and institutions, living in Greenfield is
a decidedly pleasant occupation."
In 1920, a number of Greenfield businessmen built
what is now The Old Hotel at a cost of $60,000. The country club opened
in 1924. A volunteer fire department was formed and a fire truck purchased
in 1926. In 1931, natural gas arrived to the town.
The Great
Depression and two World Wars took their toll on the tiny community.
Still it continued to grow.
The public swimming pool, still in use, was built
as a WPA project in 1941. A movement to build a hospital was started
by the Greenfield Service Club at the end of WWII. The project was completed
in 1950.
The 1950s and 1960s saw a Rockwellian version of
American life. Town Night on the square offered a variety of businesses
to frequent, a movie to see, a good meal at a small town café, and a
snow cone or popcorn from Eddie's Super Popcorn Stand. The Friday night
high school football game was the hottest show in town.
In 1969, Hollywood producer Norman Lear discovered
Greenfield's charm and used it as the set for his movie "Cold
Turkey." Starring Dick Van Dyke, Jean Stapleton, Bob Newhart and
Tom Poston, the movie involved a town that accepted a challenge to quit
smoking for 30 days. Greenfield also rose to the challenge and went
"Cold Turkey" with 166 of its citizens signing Stop Smoking pledges.
In 1999, a "Cold Turkey" reunion was held with Lear
and several original cast members in attendance. Greenfield and surrounding
communities renewed anti-smoking pledges.
In 1974, Cardinal Insulated Glass moved into the community
and became the largest employer. Siegwerk Inc, an ink processing plant,
joined them in the industrial park on the north edge of town in 1981,
now QuadGraphics.
Another major employer in town, Schildberg
Construction Company Inc., has been a part of the community since
1937. The family-owned company, which mines 20 limestone quarries throughout
Southwest Iowa and Missouri, maintains its corporate headquarters in
Greenfield.
The Schildberg family has been a generous force, donating
private collections to create the Iowa Aviation Museum one mile north
of Greenfield and the Dennis and Marlene Schildberg Antique Car collection
just east of the Square. Yvonne Schildberg purchased and donated the
decaying Opera House for restoration.
Greenfield has twice been host to RAGBRAI, the Des
Moines Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, once in 1983
and again in 2000. On July 24, 2000, 17,000 bicyclists and their entourages
descended on the town for an overnight stay after a stop in Fontanelle.
The event was organized locally by more than 500 volunteers.
In 1995, Greenfield became affiliated with the Main
Street Iowa program and became a Main Street community. The organization
offers consultation and expertise in preserving and rejuvenating the
downtown area.
