Happy Birthday, Mount Vernon! Reaching a 175th Birthday is quite a milestone!
When we moved to Mount Vernon, we were gifted the book A Centennial History of Mount Vernon, Iowa by the people who sold their home to us. In it, I have read many interesting things about our great town and its history. I learned that the original name of the town was Pinhook, but when the town was incorporated in 1847, a Mr. Willitis decided that a name with a patriotic reminder should be used and so he proposed “Mount Vernon” and that is how our town gained its name.
I wonder if the Hahn and Holman and Abbe and Jordan and Caraway and so many other families who first lived in Mount Vernon in 1847 had any idea that this town would still be thriving in 2022. Driving through Iowa you can certainly see many small towns that started out like Mount Vernon, but have withered away over time because people moved away or they couldn’t survive economic downturns.
Not only has Mount Vernon survived, but it has grown and become robust. We have a flourishing Uptown district and people who are committed to making this town the best it can be. There is a great sense of camaraderie and kindness here. The Community Development Group sponsors “Shop Small” events that are well attended, but there is already a sense among the population that they want to shop in our town first whenever possible in order to see our community prosper.
So, what gift do you give for a 175th Birthday? We could all double our efforts of sprucing up our yards and picking up trash that we see to help our town look its best. I enjoyed the time I spent the other day sweeping up the accumulated sticks and dirt along our curb. It was great to watch the rain water flow better and know that less of that debris will end up in the storm drains.
We can reach out even more to be friendly and kind to neighbors and people we see on the sidewalks around town. It’s amazing how far the smiles and genuine expressions of “Good Morning!” go and even can change a person’s day.
Even better, what if we all did better noticing the needs of others and doing something about it? While our moving van was being unloaded, Judy Stine wandered over to our house with a pan of fresh cookies to welcome us into the neighborhood. This simple act of kindness has inspired us to find ways to serve our neighbors whenever we are able in whatever way we can. With Judy’s passing, it has almost been a competition among our neighbors in the winter to see who will be the first to get Don’s sidewalks and driveway cleared of snow.
So, let’s do what we each can to give Mount Vernon the best 175th Birthday present. By so doing, we could change our reputation from “One of America’s Coolest Small Towns” to perhaps “One of America’s Cleanest Small Towns” or “One of America’s Most Caring Small Towns” or “One of America’s Friendliest Small Towns.” The choice is ours. Whatever we do, we’ll be making Mount Vernon an even greater place to live.