Ask any old timer in Jasper County if they remember the five Snook brothers involved in this Newton landmark business starting back in the early 1940s, and you will no doubt get a nod of the head. Howard Snook, born Aug. 29, 1919, was the oldest, followed by John, Ted, Burton and Lawrence. One by one, they joined their oldest brother who started working in high school at the Shaw Produce south across the street from the old Newton Senior High School downtown, where our library is now located.
A fellow named Mark Shaw operated his poultry business out of this old brick structure, which had previously been the historic First Evangelical Lutheran Church, known as “The 10-Cent Mission,” dedicated March 4,1874. The congregation purchased the land, which is directly behind today’s First Newton National Bank. Struggling with the challenge of building a new church, they sent letters to other Lutheran churches in 12 surrounding states asking that their congregations help buy bricks at 10 cents each. What a success!
A fire in this “10-Cent Mission” wrecked much of the church interior in 1917, but the structure remained. It was used as an auto repair shop for a number of years before Shaw, who also had a produce house in Monroe and Kellogg, bought the old church building and opened in Newton. Howard started full-time with Shaw after graduating in 1937. All five brothers made a living at this location until the old church building was torn down in the early 1950s. I remember that place so well because it’s where my parents took eggs for sale and bought “Full-O-Pep” feed for the chickens. This brand of feed, and also Nutrena, was packaged in large, full-color, decorated cloth sacks that could be used to make skirts, blouses and pinafores that were popular in those days. Snook’s bought eggs and cream from the farms as well as chickens, which were dressed and sold to local grocers.
One of my lingering memories of Snook’s was the one-cent peanut machine that had some kind of a loose connection and kept dispensing peanuts as long as you wiggled the lever. Word spread around high school that you could go over there and fill your pockets with peanuts for just a penny. My friends and I liked the idea and participated. But it didn’t last long. Ornery devils!
In the early 1950s, the Snook brothers moved their operation to East 12th Street on First Avenue — another abandoned old wooden church. It was north across the street from Newton Manufacturing Company. They operated from this building for a good many years. It burned down on Easter Sunday sometime in the 1970s, according to Howard. About that time the farming business was changing drastically with specialization setting in. There were very few small chicken, swine or livestock operations as in the past, and produce operations were feeling the pinch. It was right after a devastating fire on Easter Sunday that the Snook brothers closed this portion of the business they had run so successfully for many years. They switched to a farm fertilizer operation from a new building in the north part of Newton and also did some other light fabricating business.
During a delightful visit with Howard and Helen in their home recently, they shared many nostalgic memories. Howard reflected on how much his dad, Henry, enjoyed helping them in business in their early days. He said, “We had a lot of fun together running the business and participating in all kinds of community activities.” A picture of all five brothers taken when they were 1962 American Bowling Congress champions was displayed with pride, as was their photo taken during the 1982 Newton Cardinal Relays where they served as co-marshals.
Howard, who got the Snook Brothers Poultry business started, also served a number of years as Jasper County Auditor. He reflected how he was pretty much pushed into running for the job by a number of his farm friends. Knowing almost every farmer in the county easily helped him get elected. His other four brothers continued in their business, but one by one have passed on to their eternal reward.
I knew each of these fine men and admired them a lot, not only as friends but for the time and energy they devoted to their community and to their country. They all proudly served in the military during World War II, the Korean Conflict or Vietnam War.
It’s folks like this, along with their spouses and extended families, that have made our community strong and vibrant over the years. Snook Brothers Produce ... yes, we remember it well.
Olden Days appears on Wednesdays in the Daily News. Contact the writer at mcneer@pcpartner.net.