The Story of Buxton- Part 1 and 2

The Story of Buxton

Have you ever heard of Buxton? It was a coal mining town about five miles SE of Bussey and around 12 miles north of Albia. It was established by the Consolidated Coal Co. in the late 1800’s, pulling coal out of mines in the area until 1923.  

My husband's parents bought an 80-acre farm situated on the old town site of Buxton and lived there for over 30 years. Every spring, Dad Carter would plow up his fields and we would find all sorts of artifacts from the old town. There are still foundations remaining and the remnants of the brick bank vault and the old warehouse are still there. 

Many people in Southern Iowa have heard about Buxton. Iowa State University did a dig in Buxton in the 80's, and our family was given the book they wrote about their findings. Also, a few years ago, an interesting four-part program was put on through the Senior College of Des Moines, which my husband and I attended, that included two of the professors who wrote the book.

 Buxton existed from the late 1800's to 1923, when the coal veins ran out.  The Consolidated Coal Co. took good care of their employees, building nice sturdy homes (one has been preserved and sits at the Nelson Pioneer Farm just north of Oskaloosa), and building a real city that consisted of a bank, schools, gymnasium complete with indoor pool, shops and businesses, and many professionals, such as doctors, lawyers, dentists, etc.  

The big unique thing about Buxton was the fact that black and white people lived in harmony in this town.  They had their separate churches, but no discrimination existed and professionals were black and white alike. The town even had a baseball team.

 Our whole family grew up immersed in the antiquity of the old town, which only grew with the years. So I was thrilled the other day to find a wonderful write-up about Buxton by a lady who actually lived there, Hazel Nylander. She was born in 1897 and passed away in 1992 at the age of 95.  Her story is very well-written, so from time to time, I will share a few pages with you.

Please join me on a journey back down into Southern Iowa many years ago, with Mrs. Nylander’s story: 

“Buxton Was Not Really a ‘Tough Town’

By Hazel Nylander 

August 3, 1970

Buxton, which has been described as “the toughest town east of Dodge City”, wasn’t really such a tough town. I lived there for a number of years. There was gambling, drinking, knife wielding and gun shooting, but most towns of that time had a certain degree of lawlessness. The social life of Buxton more than balanced the shady side.

The town was a mixture of whites and blacks, who had been brought in to work in the coal mines which were the town’s main support. It was predominately black, but cooperation between the races was good.

I never heard of any cases of purse-snatching or house robbery, although the Buxton streets were poorly lit and in the winter, were quite dark. I was employed in the mercantile store and had to go home on the dark streets and can honestly say I was never accosted or treated disrespectfully.

Besides Buxton proper, there were other communities, such as East Swede Town, which consisted of about 35 buildings. The main feature of this small community was the Swedish Lutheran Church, which held its meetings in Swedish until World War I, when they changed to English.

People came from miles around to see the beautiful original painting of Jesus kneeling on the mountain, which was on the church’s east wall. It was done in colors and when the candles in the brass candelabra were lit, the painting came to life. The church was destroyed by fire after Buxton was abandoned.

Church activities contributed much to the social life of the white youth of the community. Ice cream socials, coffee and cake socials, box suppers, mid-summer festivals and bazaars were held. If someone spent more than he had on hand at the time of the bazaar, he was given a full year to pay for it.

West Swede Town’s main feature was her two Methodist Churches, one white and one colored. They were located near each other, but were completely separate organizations. We were invited once to hear a small boy minister speak in the colored church, and a number accepted the invitation. We were treated with respect and enjoyed the talk very much. 

Hayestown was another adjoining community. It contained a number of homes owned by Mr. Hayes, a butcher shop and a photographer’s studio. Many young people went to the studio to have pictures taken in glamorous poses. I still have some of mine taken over 60 years ago.

Coopertown had two livery stables, one owned by George Ross and one by Joe Harris. Ross would drive a hack twice a day to Hamilton, no matter what the weather, to meet the train there.

The young people of today can’t feature what it was like to take a buggy ride with your special gentleman friend.  A few young men had their horses and buggies, but most rented them from the stables. What fun it was to spend a Sunday having a picnic near the Des Moines River at Tracy.

When we rejoin Mrs. Nylander we will learn a little about Coopertown.

Until next time!

The Story of Buxton-Part II

Buxton Was Not Really a “Tough Town” 

By Hazel Nylander, Aug 3, 1970

We continue with the story of Buxton written 50 years ago by Mrs. Nylander, who died in 1992 at the age of 95. We pick up where we left off with Coopertown…

“Coopertown also had a colored hotel which was later destroyed by fire, a grocery store run by two white men and a colored doctor. The social life was sparked by the dances held in its large dance hall. It was erroneously reported that whites and blacks held dances together. The dances were always racially segregated, and no one ever tried to crash them. Skating parties were also held in the building, but they, too, were always racially separate. The lodge held dances for the white young people, too. Dance programs were provided and refreshments of sandwiches, potato salad and soft drinks, but no hard liquor, were sold.

There were two tailor shops, one run by a colored tailor who made peg-topped trousers, which were a must for the well-dressed young gentlemen. The other tailor specialized in men’s suits.

The only house left now in old Buxton was owned by Johnny Thomas, but which is presently owned by the Carlson’s, who live in it. The house was once part of the Thomas addition, a number of connected buildings owned by Johnny Thomas. (Note from Sheryl: *Art Carlson lived in that house for many years, and was a good neighbor to Mom and Dad Carter, who lived just up the hill. Then he was finally taken to a nursing home where he passed away. I’ve explored the old house a couple of times and it was sadly still as he left it, with his jackets hanging on pegs in the kitchen, much of the furniture still in place in each room: bed and mattress, kitchen stove, etc. The saddest of all was the tall, beautifully ornate organ in the living room. The roof is slowly falling in and everything is being slowly destroyed. Such a shame. Weeds and saplings are growing all around the little house. If only it could have been preserved, as I didn’t know until this minute this was a former Buxton house.) 

The coal mines were some distance from the town, so the miners had to be transported to them on trains. It cost ten cents a month to ride the train. It was quite a sight when the miners came into the depots at night with their miner’s lamps on their hats. There were no lights in the railroad coaches, but there was heat. 

Water and coal were delivered by the coal company to the houses in town. The company had built cisterns at most of the houses, and there were a few wells, but most of the water was hauled in. This was quite a project, when it is considered that Buxton had 9,000 inhabitants at one time. (*That figure has been lowered to around 6,000 or less by later historians, but I am more inclined to trust someone who actually lived there.)

The Buxton Wonders Baseball Team provided summer entertainment.  The first team was made up of Negroes. They played many professional teams and won their fair share of the games. The second team was racially integrated. They also played some professional teams, were in great demand to play at places for miles around and drew large crowds. 

Another place of amusement was the park, which boasted a year-round merry-go-round. Carnivals, though not as elaborate as today’s, were held in the park and were enjoyed by all. If two young couples happened to be together at the carnival, one would promise to have their fortunes told by the gypsy fortune teller if the others would promise, also. The first couple would then proceed to tell the gypsy all about the other couple, who would be amazed at the gypsy’s knowledge.

There were two colored bands, which were directed by brothers. They played for dances and skating parties. Their concerts were well attended, since there was no television or radio then. A colored quartet was often heard, too, and it was very much in demand at fairs and other gatherings.”

We will pause here and continue with Mrs. Nylander’s well-written story in an up-coming issue.  

Thank you for reading and I so hope you are enjoying this reminiscence as much as I am!