Listed are a few remembered officers and chiefs of yesterday.........

• D.E. VanPelt
• Jim Endicott
• Pastor Sales
• Emil Knickman
• Bert Pace
• Park McManical
• Ted Harless
• Kenneth Mead
• Harry Gregg
• Steve Liddell
• Dave Smith
• John O'Connor (Current)

If you know of anybody we have forgotten or have any information that you would like to add to this page please contact us at gbluemen@aol.com

D.E. VanPelt

NIGHTWATCHMAN

1928-1948

Attention Officer LeMaster,

Among my memories of the Glenwood Police Department was that the officer walked the streets and alleys. He was armed and carried a five cell flash light. To alert the officer of an impending situation the telephone operator would turn on a light that was located high above the southwest corner of the city square. The officer would go to the nearest telephone for further (information). Among the duties was door check and constant fire watch. As a supplement to income from the city, merchants paid direct on a monthly basis.

Willard Stivers

Mills County Brief County History

Major Frederick Mills of Burlington, who was killed during the Battle of Cherubusco in the Mexican War, is the namesake of Mills County, Iowa. The site of the first county seat was called Rushville by the Mormons who settled there in 1846. This name was later changed to Coonsville, after Dr. Liberius Coons, first doctor and founder of the community. In 1853 the name was again changed, from Coonsville to its present day Glenwood. The first courthouse was a small, 12-foot x 20-foot, frame building. It was replaced in 1857 by a two-story, Georgian Colonial style building. No records exist, but some say the price of this building was $40,000. Sometime after 1900 a wing was added on to this building, thus making room for fireproof vault. In 1910 a clock tower was also added to this building. In 1917 the treasure's office caught fire, causing two large holes in the floor. The first newspaper was published in this courthouse, and it also served as a temporary barracks for Civil War troops in 1861. In 1898, an Iowa company was organized at the courthouse to serve in the war with Spain. When this building was 100 years old, it was replaced with a modern building in 1959.

Taken from History of County Governments in Iowa, published in 1992 by Iowa State Association of Counties, Des Moines, Iowa