History

In 1854, 23 year old Ed Temple, reared in Burlington, and then employed as a bank clerk in the new town of Chariton, journeyed westward on a mission into the sparsley settled Grand River region. His new bride, Jane, accompanied him. After travelling for several days, the young couple began following a faintly marked ridge road exending westward from their Grand River crossing. On a bright afternoon, they came upon a level patch of high ground which offered a commanding view in every direction. Ed and his pretty wife were pleased with the place. It was located on top of one of several parallel ridges which were separated by plummeting divides through which ran rushing streams that were part of the Grand River watershed.

Ed Temple's mission was to locate a site for a new town to become the county seat of Union County. He had learned that commissioners authorized by the state legislature would soon select a site for the Union County Seat. Ed and his business associates were engaging in the time honored practice of town site speculation. They proposed to plat a county seat site and to seek official recognition by offering half of the town lots for public use in the hopes of reaping big profits from the sale of the remaining lots.

Ed Temple began staking out the town site. As he did so he mused about the future. Great things were in store for his adopted state. The country seemed on the edge of a new era of development sparked by the coming of Railroads. Such a rail project would undoubtedly stimulate settlement and become an engine of economic development especially for those communities lucky enough to be located along its path. Ed Temple hoped that his town site would become a link in the new national superhighway. He could not have foreseen that the Kansas-Nebraska act would become enmenshed in a renewed debate over territorial expansion of slavery; a debate that would eventually plunge the nation into Cival War.

Instead, on that warm summer afternoon in 1854, Temple's thoughts were on the brightening prospects for westward expansion, thoughts that must have crossed his mind as he began to envision the street plan of his new urban enterprise. The pivot of the new town would be the same ridge road that brought him to the place, an east =west route that Temple dubbed Kansas Street pointing the way to the expanding western frontier. Fronting on this main street would be the public square whereon an elegant county court house might someday be built; and across the square paralleling Kansas Street would be Railroad Avenue, a name evocative of Temple's hopes and dreams. The street running north and south on the west side of the public square, Temple called Douglas in honor of the Illinois Senator who seemed at that moment to be the symbol of the national obsession with the Great West.

Temple turned his attention to a name for his new venture. But just then he caught a glimpse of his attractive wife, and a rush of feeling diverted his attention. Jane Temple seemed distracted. She was gazing to the west where the land dropped off quickly into a deep ravine through which meandered a little stream.

Ed Temple remembered that someone on the trail has referred to this bright little brook as 12 mile creek so named by the Mormons to mark their passage westward. Now the sight of his wife gazing at the lovely scene, prompted an uncharacteristic recitation from the business minded young bank clerk:

Flow gently sweet Afton, disturb not her dream.

Ed Temple found himself speaking a line of poetry. Jane turned and smiled, Robert Burns, the English poet, was a favorite of hers, and without hesitation she followed his words with a recitation of her own.

How lofty sweet Afton, thy neighboring hills…
How pleasant thy banks and green valleys below.

It seemed fitting, and then she told him we should call this place Afton. Ed Temple agreed.



		The History of Afton
		There is connection between the town of Afton and the enterprise that is housed in Iowa's tallest building. Both were started by Iowa Pioneer Edward A. Temple. Temple founded Banker's Life which became Principal, Iowa's insurance company giant. The same Edward A. Temple started the town of Afton. He had a head for business, but also has a romantic side, Afton's start is part of that story. In 1854, 23 year old Ed Temple, reared in Burlington, and then employed as a bank clerk in the new town of Chariton, journeyed westward on a mission into the sparsley settled Grand River region. His new bride, Jane, accompanied him. After travelling for several days, the young couple began following a faintly marked ridge road exending westward from their Grand River crossing. On a bright afternoon, they came upon a level patch of high ground which offered a commanding view in every direction. Ed and his pretty wife were pleased with the place. It was located on top of one of several parallel ridges which were separated by plummeting divides through which ran rushing streams that were part of the Grand River watershed. Ed Temple's mission was to locate a site for a new town to become the county seat of Union County. He had learned that commissioners authorized by the state legislature would soon select a site for the Union County Seat. Ed and his business associates were engaging in the time honored practice of town site speculation. They proposed to plat a county seat site and to seek official recognition by offering half of the town lots for public use in the hopes of reaping big profits from the sale of the remaining lots. Ed Temple began staking out the town site. As he did so he mused about the future. Great things were in store for his adopted state. The country seemed on the edge of a new era of development sparked by the coming of Railroads. Such a rail project would undoubtedly stimulate settlement and become an engine of economic development especially for those communities lucky enough to be located along its path. Ed Temple hoped that his town site would become a link in the new national superhighway. He could not have foreseen that the Kansas-Nebraska act would become enmenshed in a renewed debate over territorial expansion of slavery; a debate that would eventually plunge the nation into Cival War. Instead, on that warm summer afternoon in 1854, Temple's thoughts were on the brightening prospects for westward expansion, thoughts that must have crossed his mind as he began to envision the street plan of his new urban enterprise. The pivot of the new town would be the same ridge road that brought him to the place, an east =west route that Temple dubbed Kansas Street pointing the way to the expanding western frontier. Fronting on this main street would be the public square whereon an elegant county court house might someday be built; and across the square paralleling Kansas Street would be Railroad Avenue, a name evocative of Temple's hopes and dreams. The street running north and south on the west side of the public square, Temple called Douglas in honor of the Illinois Senator who seemed at that moment to be the symbol of the national obsession with the Great West. Temple turned his attention to a name for his new venture. But just then he caught a glimpse of his attractive wife, and a rush of feeling diverted his attention. Jane Temple seemed distracted. She was gazing to the west where the land dropped off quickly into a deep ravine through which meandered a little stream. Ed Temple remembered that someone on the trail has referred to this bright little brook as 12 mile creek so named by the Mormons to mark their passage westward. Now the sight of his wife gazing at the lovely scene, prompted an uncharacteristic recitation from the business minded young bank clerk: Flow gently sweet Afton, disturb not her dream. Ed Temple found himself speaking a line of poetry. Jane turned and smiled, Robert Burns, the English poet, was a favorite of hers, and without hesitation she followed his words with a recitation of her own. How lofty sweet Afton, thy neighboring hills… How pleasant thy banks and green valleys below. It seemed fitting, and then she told him we should call this place Afton. Ed Temple agreed.