140 years ago

june 4. 1880

Florence is preparing to celebrate the 4th of July in big style. Elaborate preliminaries have been made, and our sister city will undoubtedly do herself proud.

Farmers come from the very threshold of Cottonwood Falls to trade at Marion Centre. Marion Centre draws like a mustard plaster.

Mr. Scully of Lincoln, Illinois, representing some thirty-odd thousand acres of land in this county, is here on his annual tour of inspection.

Mr. George Coble has forty acres of wheat which good judges think will “go” at least twenty-five bushels to the acre.

The new Evangelical Church, in Gale Township, is under contract. It will be built of stone. John Groat has this part of the contract. Mr. Jacobs will do the carpenter work, except making the frames, doors, windows, sash, &c, which will be done by Kable & Grady. This part of the job is to be of Gothic style, and will be especially nice.

Mr. Geo. Reynolds, a practical horticulturist and nurseryman, has bought land from Mr. Jex, and will cultivate nursery stock and garden truck. It is an enterprise that will pay.