Chapter 10 cont. BLUE GRASS. This thriving little village was laid out in 1853 by J. E. Burnsides, John Perrin and James W. Reynolds on sections 31 and 32.  Blue Grass township and on sections 5 and 6, Buffalo township.  John Perrin was the first postmaster, from 1849 until 1853, when he was succeeded by a Mr. Colvin.  A merchant of Muscatine, named John Baker, opened the first store here in the spring of 1856.  Christ Meeke, in 1852, became the first blacksmith.  The first wagon maker was Henry Greebe, in 1853.  He remained a few years, then moved to Nebraska, where he became quite prominent in politics.  The first shoe maker was William Souerman, in 1855.  William Moss, in 1853, opened the first carpenter shop.  The first hotel was built by J. E. Burnsides in 1855.  Garret Clawson was its first landlord.  The Baptists in 1854 built the first church and in 1859 the second church was built by the Methodist Episcopal society.  The church building was subsequently removed from the village, after which the Methodists erected another church on a more elaborate scale.  The Presbyterians came next in 1873 and built a church.  In 1859 the first school house was erected at a cost of $1,000.  J. E. Burnsides in 1856 erected a steam flouring mill.  The second steam flouring mill was built in 1867 by a Mr. Dorman.  Brick was first made in Blue Grass in the summer of 1845 by Ezra Carpenter.  Within the limits of the brickyard, six feet below the surface, the fossil remains of a mastodon were found.  The tusks resembled petrified hickory and were estimated to be eleven feet long.  Blue Grass is located on a branch of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific railroad, in the southern part of the township of that name, and is about ten miles west of Davenport.  It has a graded school; two churches; a bank; two general stores; a lumber yard; meat market; implement store; blacksmith shop; barber shop; one physician; saloons; telephone, telegraph and express offices. Debbie Clough G-erischer G-erischer Family Web Site http://gerischer.rootsweb.com/ Assistant CC, Iowa Gen Web, Scott County http://www.celticcousins.net/scott/ List Manager for: IASCOTT-L * G-erischer-L * D-encker-L Fitzpatirck-L * V-lerebome-L * Huntington-L * Otis-L * Algar-L EIGS-L * Pickens-L * McNab-L * Patris-L - Rankin-L