The Candle-Stick Chapter was organized February 21, 1908. The chapter was named for an article, the candlestick,  much in use in Colonial days. With our name, it is a reminder of home life in that period.

The Candle-Stick Chapter has placed markers at significant historic sites in Franklin County.

First Cabin in Franklin County

The Candle-Stick Chapter marked the site of the first cabin that was built in Franklin County in 1852 by James Reeve, John Mayne, and Addison Phelps, the "men-folk" of pioneers searching for a home-site in the area. They built the cabin as a refuge from the approaching winter. Only Reeve and the Mayne family lived there for two winters while the men hunted elk and buffalo and trapped beaver.
 

To locate the marker, go 1 1/4 miles east of US Highway 65 on 105th Street (Geneva Blacktop). Turn left at the long lane. The marker is located in the farmer's yard near the light pole.

Site of First Franklin County School House

The Candle-Stick Chapter erected a marker that shows the site of the first school in Franklin County, which was built in 1855. Miss Octavia Smith, a young girl in her teens, taught in this school in Reeves Township. Also in this area are the first burial grounds in the county.  The location of the marker is 1 mile east of U.S. Highway 65 south of Hampton on 105th Street (Geneva Blacktop). Go 1/4 mile north on Quail Ave. to the farm lane.  The cemetery is to the right and the marker is near the curve on the right side of the lane.

Campsite of First Settlers in Franklin County

A plaque marks the campsite of the first settlers of Franklin County. They arrived in the area in October 1852 and camped in a grove in what is now Mallory Park. The site is 275 paces southeast of the large granite boulder with the engraved plaque.  To locate the marker, go 5 miles south of Hampton on U.S. Highway 65.  Turn right on 95th Street. Go west to the Mallory Park entrance. Walk north across the bridge.  Follow Hickory Trail about 1/4 mile east.

A Centennial Tree: Planted in 1876

A European Larch tree was planted in 1876 by a pioneer Hampton school teacher. Known as the "Centennial Tree," it was marked as dedicated on July 4, 1976, while still a flourishing, healthy tree.  The marker is located in Hampton, Iowa, on the north side of the Franklin County Courthouse lawn a half block east of 1st St. NE on 1st Ave. NW.

Hampton's First Resident

The first resident of Hampton was Job Garner in 1854. His cabin site was marked by the Candle-Stick Chapter in 1927 with an inscribed tablet mounted on a granite boulder. The third preaching service in the county was also located at that site a year later. The marker is located on the northeast corner of 4th Avenue, NW, and 3rd Street, NW, in Hampton, Iowa.

First Post Office, First Store Site in Franklin County

A historical marker was placed by the Candle-Stick Chapter in 1922 to indicate where the town of Maysville stood in 1856. The first post office in Franklin County was opened here on July 24, 1856, and closed 34 years later.  Sixteen postmasters served at the post office during that time.  Only 150 people lived in Maysville but they had a schoolhouse, hotel, two stores, and a steam saw mill.  The first store in the county was opened in 1853 by Dr. T. H. Baker in his home a half-mile east of the schoolhouse.  To view the marker, go to the junction of State Highway 3 and U.S. Highway 65, and go five miles south to 95th Street. Turn left a half mile.

Site of 1857 Hotel

Abner S. Ross, the first postmaster in the little town of Chapin in north central Franklin County, built a hotel there in 1857 named the Chapin Ross House Hotel. He ran it until 1875. At their 1972 Centennial, the town of Chapin erected a historical marker at the old hotel site and the Candle-Stick Chapter dedicated the marker in 1973.

The Old Stone House

In 1853, Leander Reeve and James Reeve broke 10 acres of native prairie before returning to Ohio for their families.  In 1854, Leander Reeve built a house of native limestone.  It remained a family home through the 1950/s.  After this, the empty house deteriorated until restored by “Friends of the Old House” in 1978-1985.  It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.  

On September 12, 2009 the Candle-Stick Chapter NSDAR and the Franklin County Historical Society placed a marker on the grounds and a dedication was held by the Candle-Stick Chapter.  The Old Stone House is located 4 miles south of Hampton on Highway 65 and 2 miles east on 105th St. (C-47).