Exira Sesquicentennial Special: The Fourth of July
July 4th Celebrations
Exira has always been proud of her Fourth of July celebrations. While the entertainment hasn't always been spectacular (Ed. note: typical Iowa realist outlook), the people gathered in large numbers to visit with old friends, many of whom they only saw on this special day. It has become tradition with the town to "roll out the red carpet" and invite friends from near and far to come and enjoy the day. The celebrations were first held in the Bryant Milliman timber south of town, but as the town developed they were held in the city park and was [sic] an event looked forward to eagerly by the grown-ups as well as the children. Mothers began preparing for the day weeks in advance. There were new clothes to be made for the whole family and the day before was a busy day of baking and preparing a sumptuous picnic dinner. Everyone was up at dawn on that eventful day (Ed. note: pretty darn early, considering there was no daylight savings time back then), being awakened by "General Logan", a little civil war cannon that was fired at sunrise and could be heard for miles around. No one needed to be told to hurry up with the chores that morning. It was necessary to get an early start for town as the parade started at nine o'clock. The trip was made in a buggy or wagon with boards across to sit on, and every available spot of shade, whether it be on the school grounds or on someone's lawn, was used for picknicking. Neighbors and friends congregated and spread their tablecloths end to end, passing the food up and down the full length and sampling every dish. Such a feast.
The horses were unhitched and tied to the wagon where hay and corn was provided for them.
The following advertisement was taken from an old Exira Journal and tells the kind of entertainment furnished for the day.
"Come to the City Beautiful"
Cool nooks, shady groves.
"We call you from your labors to enjoy our fine shade, mingle with your neighbors, see our attractions that are prepared for the righteous (Ed. note: ?!), listen to our eminent speakers and enjoy our open handed hospitality. Our guns at sunrise will apprise you that we are prepared to welcome you (Ed. note: Must be a traditional American welcome - just ask an Iraqi.). There will be a snappy ball game in the afternoon, continuous vaudeville attractions and a great program of sports such as: horse racing, ring riding, hurdle race, hammer throw, greased pole, four-legged race, etc."
The parades were not made up of beautiful floats as they are today. There were lots of horses and buggies gaily decorated with bunting, old soldiers proudly wearing their uniforms and marching in formation, the town band furnished the music and the marshall of the day led the parade on a prancing horse. One cannot recall the old parade without remembering John I. Hensley and J.M. Dimmick who, riding their beautiful horses, led the parade for many years...
The story of the Fourth of July would not be complete without giving the history of the little cannon called "General Logan", which at 4:30 in the morning, announced to the surrounding country that this was Independence Day. A salute was fired and could be heard for many miles. One year, a double charge of powder was put in the cannon by accident or as a prank and the resulting explosion broke all the windows in the K. P. Hall. (Ed. Note: This building is still standing. It was the first courthouse in Audubon County and now houses the Audubon County Historical Museum.)
The owner of this cannon was Samuel D. Harn, a civil war veteran who cherished it as a trophy of his service to his country. When Mr. Harn was unable to fire the salute because of infirmities of old age, he gave it to the city. The following article was taken from an old Exira Journal:
"At the next meeting of the city council, Mr. Sam Harn will present the little cannon "General John A. Logan" to the town of Exira. This little cannon has done the roaring for the city celebrations since 1872. When it was first used there were 34 stars in the flag, each represented a state in the Union and Exira rendered each of them a salute. Today there are 48 stars and each of them are welcomed to our happy events.
"In the declining years of this respected old soldier and citizen, Sam Harn Sr. feels the effects of his service to his country in the great conflict of '61 to '65 and is now willing this prized souvenir of days gone by, go to younger hands.
"Then here's to the little cannon that never saw a defeat, nor has been taken by an enemy, always ready to do the bidding of its master and if necessary preserve the peace and quiet of the city." (Ed. note: So if people got out of hand at the Fourth, they were prepared to use the cannon on them?!)
Perhaps Mr. Harn's confidence was misplaced, for the little cannon suffered its first defeat at the hands of the "city fathers" who sometime during the years of progress and advancement, dismantled the cannon and discarded all but the wheels which are stored in the City Hall and offer a silent rebuke to a careless generation.
Later in the book, the celebrations of the 20th century are noted:
Exira's Celebrations
From the booming of the guns on Piety Hill (Ed. note: I have no idea what hill in town this means. Perhaps some gentle, knowledgeable reader could point it out to me?) at sunrise to the silent tramp of the marshal at midnight, the Fourth of July in Exira will be a continuation of peaceful pleasure. Thus read the ad for the 1906 Fourth of July celebration, Exira's 42nd. Prizes of $50 in gold were offered in the drawings. Other features of early celebrations were the Grand Street parade headed by Exira's concert band, followed by Calathumpians and Floats. It was described as a solid mile of magnificent display. In 1901, a large silk flag was the award given to the township having the largest delegation in the parade. Special trains brought in the celebrants at reduced rates from Audubon, Atlantic and intervening points. The guns no longer boom on Piety Hill to announce the dawn of July 4, but Exira still celebrates. Exira's school band leads the parade and our floats indicate the interest of this age - Future Farmers of America (Ed. note: Sadly, Exira no longer has its own FFA chapter.), 4-H organizations, church groups and business houses all contribute, and while we no longer need special trains, our town is filled with cars from far and near, as this year will attest.
I had the pleasure of chatting with our Festung Europa roving reporter and erstwhile pirate, Lynn Nelson, Esq., a few hours ago. He is on-hand for the Exira celebrations and may be able to deliver some on-the-spot reporting to us tomorrow. And so, gentle reader, it's not over yet. Stay tuned for the last round of our Exira Sesquicentennial Specials!
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