Snapshots of History by Mike Avitt

By Editor | February 18, 2026 |

I was asked about the life and career of Mount Ayr attorney Frank Wilson. I don’t have much on Frank, but his father was once one of the most well-known men in Ringgold County. Plus, there is a legacy to discuss, so let’s look at the Henry Havelock Wilson family.
Page 71 of the “Early History of Ringgold County (1937)” gives us a brief look at H. H. Wilson’s life. He was born in Canada in 1858, but his father died when he was small. His mother remarried a man named L. S. Brooks and Henry grew to manhood in Lenox. Wilson began a small enterprise in Mount Ayr in 1879 (the year Mount Ayr got the railroad) and he was so successful, his step-father entered into business with Wilson bringing much needed capital.
Soon, Wilson bought out his partner and H. H. Wilson Company began its long run. In 1891, Henry had the two-story, brick building built at 112 W. Madison St. He sold groceries, often in bulk, but also bought and sold land. He was one of the founders of the Iowa-Missouri Grain Company, was a Mount Ayr State Bank stockholder and organized fund-raising efforts for the public library, the Methodist Church and the new school building. Success was his constant companion.
Wilson sold his business in 1916 so he could attended to other concerns. One of them was his brick house he had built in Sheldon Heights (the Routh home) in 1915. He got the store back in 1918 and sold it to Arthur and Harry (brothers) Liggett and Charlie Horne. Such was H. H. Wilson’s reputation, the new owners kept the Wilson name. Charlie Horne began his own business in 1928, but the Liggett brothers operated the store until 1947. Henry Wilson died in 1922.
H. H. Wilson had two sons: Charles born in 1889 and Frank born in 1893. Charles, born with a weak heart, still served stateside in World War I. Charles was the bookkeeper for his father’s businesses. He married in 1934, had a son, but passed away in 1936 from his heart condition.
Frank graduated Mount Ayr High School in 1911 and served his country in France before he could complete his law studies. He married Irene Williams in 1921 and they had a son and a daughter.
In 1937 he bought the building at 117 S. Fillmore for his law practice. Today, that building is home to Ringgold County Development, et al. Like his father, Frank was involved with organization, fund-raising and promotion. Among his many honors were being a 50-year member of the Masons and the American Legion.
Frank passed away in 1970. Which brings us to this week’s picture.
I took this week’s photo on January 9, 2011. In 1920, Faith Lodge 179 moved their Masonic headquarters from 111 S. Fillmore to 121-123 S. Fillmore. At the same time, H. H. Wilson bought the former lot of the Masons and the lot directly north (109 S. Fillmore) and the lot at 113 S. Fillmore. A fire in 1927 destroyed the buildings on Wilson’s lots. The elder Wilson had passed away and the lots were owned by his estate.
In late 1927, the Wilson Estate erected the building at 107 S. Fillmore. The first occupant was The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. also known as A&P. In 1931, the Wilson Estate built the two buildings at 111 and 109 S. Fillmore. The Mount Ayr Post Office went into the building next to the alley and Beaman Brothers Dry Cleaning occupied the other storefront.
So, there are four buildings on the square built by H. H. Wilson or his estate. And a beautiful home at the entrance to Shellway Drive. The Wilsons are gone but what they created is still here.

Posted in Snapshot of History by Mike Avitt