Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1868-11-27
DURANT.
Its Location, Business,
Churches. Schools, So
ciety. Prospects.
&C., &c.
Tap VILLAGE.

one Of the finest agricultural districts in
the State, it enjoys COED trade from the
surrounding coustry, and bids fair. in time,
70 Be ,sms . vslusble suburb 70 Davenport
"A place whore our wealthy msrchsnts can
build their country seats and retire to peace
and quiet after the exhaustive lsbors Of the
day hare ended. Only twenty miles dis
tant from the, to be, metropolis Of lows, ito
future 10 settled fact. and, ere another
decade of years shall have passed away,
We have no doubt many fine residences,
surrounded with elegant snd spacious
grounds, will ornament tho fertile and
hsaithful highlands On which Durant is
located.
The Duraut Of to-day 10, % We remark
above. neat and tastsfully built village Of
ave or six hundred inhsbitants. The
buildings do not present thst hassy "s'ung
tsgsther" appearance, which charsetsrIss
20 many ef eur interior towns, but are, fer
the most part, put up in substantial and
wsrkmanliks shape, and sppsar to have
bssn erected with view to tho FEASIBILITY
that some one might desire to live in them.
In 1856, the nrst house in the present
town WAS built BY Mr. Clark Loomis, now .
resident Of New Haven, Conn. Fer some
years the growth Of the place wss slew.
but. Of late, improvements have been rap
idly pushed forward, and, in the year just
closing, We are told, Durant has increased
at least sns-third, both in buildings and
population.
Darast is the market for large scope o.
country, extending north int Cedar county
and south towards Nuscatins. Notwith.
standing the low prices and general dispssi
tisA Of farmers to hold on 70 their produce,
more than one hundred thousand bushels sf
wheat have already been shipped this ssa-
sen. half % many bushels Of eats, and di>
rectly to New York, over ten Thousand
bushels Of that dslectabls and valuable anti.
scerbutie vsgstabls-ths.on .onisn.
There are four general merchandising -
tablishmsnts in this place, whose transac
tions, during the past twelve months, vii
probably sum up tstsl business Of 11oo, =
900.
Four physicians attend to the sanitary
condition Of the people, and three clergy
men stand guard against the influence d
the power that caused % much disturbance
in the Garden Of Eden at an early day in the
history Of the human race.
One lawyer keeps the community 10 the
paths Of rsctituds, and three butchers sup
ply il with fresh besfstsaks and roasts.
One drug store fiils the prescriptions Of
the four doctors. and one blacksmith
pounds iron into horse shoes, while three
shoe makers perform the same operation on
leather, for the benefit Of the huaao family.
There is also one harness shop, three car.
psnter shops, TIVE salsoDs, and IN elevator,
the latter having . capacity Of 60, 600 bush
sls, and cost when new, $4,000.
cnURcBss.
There Ars but two church sdiRcss in the
village ~ this time. The Episcopal Society
has neat and tasty chapel, as also, have
the Congregationalists. Next season the
Methodists design putting up . church
building that will cost several thousands Of
dollars. The Congregational Society ha
increased its mem ssrship 80 rapidly during
the past summer, that the old chapel WAS
found too small 10 ommedats the large
number that attended. The charch il now
undergoing the process Of enlargement.
SCHOOLS.
The building now occupied as public
school house has been found altogether too
contracted to give the yousg folks even
standing room. In the spring the suthori-
ties will commence the erection Of large
school sdi6es, the cost Of which 10 esti
mated to be $1,000.
A female seminary. recently established
under the suspicss Of the Episcopal society
by Rev. W. 7. Curry, 10 6surishing finely.
The foundation fer seminary building 10
already laid. and the houi,s will finished a.
sxpsditiously - possible.
BorsLs.
We can hardly close err b,.isf" " notes By
the way" without referring to the Nesbitt
House, kept BY that prince Of Bonifacss,
Alvin Nesbitt. II 10 the best finished esun-
try hotel, W think, on the r. lrosd between
Davenport and Dss Moinss. He has just
completed an addition to the major build
ing which nearly doubles tie lodging ca
pacity Of ,hs establishment, and refurnish-
ed and reilttsd the sntirs iussitu, ion. This
hotel-ths only ens. BY tine way-is .
credit to Dufant.
SOCIALLY.
Matters in Dursnt apresr 10 be consid.s
ably :" mixed" Some thirty o. forty young
bachelors are compelled 70 esn 6ns their at
tsntions TO four or I've young ladies, oil Of
whom are already belrotheA. W. are re-
quessed to pledge the word OF ihs officers o.
the Bachelors Club" toat any young
lady who has never obtained premium for
homsliness temper not coss idsred
take her pick Of the "felle~s,' aud have .
husband in three days from tho date Of her
stepping % the platform. Tnsrss your
chance, girls
SsfrLsnsxr o. rHs OouNSY Dssf.-At
thslsst session Of the Board Of Sspsrvissrs
committee was appointed 70 Investigate
the sfatos Of our county debt, ssd get it il.
to such shape that semprsniss nay BE-
sGset,d with the srsditSrs, ami the debt d.
nally sxtisgaishsd. The prompt aetisn of
the Beard. net With the univssal approval
Of Ill parties, and the esmmittss gave -
euranees thst they weuid 60 to work at
eses, b ascertain the exact amount Of The
debt, names Of besdhs,dsrs, and number Of
bends. aad have then registered, all With
= view Of issuing new 80 year bonds, bsar.
ing six per cent. interest.
Now We learn that this committee ere not
doing snythisg, and ~ they Win postpone
oil actisn until the Jane session. This pre-
erastination can Only result. - u has in The
past. disastssasly . esr bsst Interests, on