City of Mound history

Mound City was part of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803.

Squier & Davis, c.1848

In 1852, Territorial Governor Alexander Ramsey was credited with naming Lake Minnetonka which meant "big water" in the Dakota language.

In 1853 Galen Crow operated a store on the north side of Davis Creek, the present site of Mound City.

In 1855 the post office was moved over to Crow’s with Galen Crow as postmaster, then called “North Point”. Mr.

Mound City was incorporated February 18, 1857 by the General Assembly.

The next structure was a frame building erected by Charles Barnes in January, 1858 and was occupied as a store, and later, a post office.

On February 1, 1859, the former post office on Sugar Mound was moved to the new townsite, which officially became Mound City.

In the spring of 1861, a man named R. B. Mitchell bought the press, moved it to Mansfield and started the Mansfield Shield and Banner.

In 1863, the United Brethren congregation began to build a church, but, was unable to finish it due to financial constraints.

On April 1, 1864, another newspaper, the Border Sentinel, was established by J. T. & J. D. Snoddy.

Later, in 1866, the building would be acquired by the county and would be used as a courthouse.

The Baptists built a substantial brick church in 1867 and the Congregationalists built a frame structure the same year.

On April 1, 1873, yet another newspaper was established by J. J. McCallum called the Linn County Enterprise.

On March 9, 1875, Mound City became the permanent county seat of Linn County.

In 1893, it would be consolidated with the La Cygne Weekly Journal and be called the Journal-Clarion, until it too, was discontinued in January, 1914. It was sold in January, 1876 and the name changed to the Linn County Clarion, which would continue on for the next several years.

1881 was a boom year with the opening of the Opera house, 700 attended.

The first Mayor was elected in 1883, prior to this he was known as the Chairman of the Board.

A disastrous fire started in the Smith & Andes store in 1885 destroying the entire block.

Designed in American Queen Ann style of architecture, it was first occupied on January 1, 1887.

Davis Creek flooded the town in 1896 causing a great deal of damage.

The first Rural Free Delivery of mail went out of Mound City in 1901.

The first Chautauqua was also in 1912.

The Ohio History Connection funded the reconstruction of Mound City Group in the 1920’s.

In 1935 the Federal Migratory Wildlife Refuge was established.

A new gym and auditorium were built in 1937.

In 1952 a new city hall was built.

In 1957 the city celebrated its centennial.

In 1966 the Great Northern Railway sold the Depot to the Minnetonka Museum Association for $1 with the understanding that it be moved to a different site.

The Old Linn County Jail and City Hall, listed on the National Historic Register in 1978, stands at 312 Main Street and the historic Linn County Courthouse sits at Fourth and Main.

In 1992, four more of Chillicothe’s many Hopewell earthwork sites were added to Mound City Group and the name of the park was changed to Hopewell Culture National Historical Park.