THE OLD TOWN ANDALUSIA

About 1843, Napoleon B. Buford, Sr., of Rock Island, bought at tax sale, the site of Rockport. Mr. Buford built a warehouse, and established a store, although he did not reside here. In 1845, Mrs. Buford rechristened the village An­ dalusia, and it became the principal marketing place for the surrounding country

Warehouses and a flouring mill were erected and for the time vast quantities of grain, produce and flour were shipped by river steamers, and flour hauled by wagons to Rock Island, was shipped to Chicago. Taxes had accrued against much of the realty when, in 1865, a syndicate of residents formed the "Town Company," which donated several building lots to churches on perfection of congregational organization. The personnel of the company were: S. M. Boney, Rinnah Wells, John Buffum, Arthur Roberts, Maria Kenworthy, S. E. Roberts, William Freeman, David Conner, Henry Thompson, J. C. Bethuram and David Finley.

After adjusting claims of title in dispute it cut off seven tiers of blocks, east and west from the survey of 1835, platted the central valley portion into fifty blocks, a full block containing ten lots, each 61 x 140 feet, with seven east and west streets and in­ termediate alleys, and seven streets running north and south. A bluff annex contains a thirty-three acre farm, several five and ten-acre lots, and the cemetery grounds.

 

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