Fairview

By Herman A. Mueller

In the fall of 1850, Samuel Comstock had Simon Rutty lay out a town in the northeast part of the NE Qtr of the NE Qtr of Section 24, South Township about one-fourth mile northeast of the present Town of St. Charles, on land now owned by the Samuel Picken heirs and H. P. Anderson. He named it Fairview . He built a log store 16 by 24 feet late in the fall and then went to Oskaloosa for his stock of merchandise. On his return with the goods it was winter, and the cabin store not being furnished, he kept the goods in the house of Joel Clanton who lived west of the present site of St. Charles. Samuel Fife acted as his clerk. Mr. Comstock sold what he could, but the settlers being few and money scarce, and having purchased his goods on time, he was not able to meet his bills when they became due, so his creditors came the next spring and took what he had left. The records of Winterset do not show that the plast was ever recorded. The store building was never finished, and was later sold to Uncle John Byars who moved it to St. Charles after that town was laid out in the fall of 1852. It was the first building to be erected in the Town of St. Charles, being moved and put up on lot 7 NW Section where Joseph Vanscoy conducted a restaurant for several years. Mr. Comstock left and thus ended the Town of Fairview

Transcribed by Kent Transier