ABSTRACT
In the period from post-Civil War Reconstruction to about World War I, many of the small and medium towns that now dot the Midwest were settled and built. In general, the sequence of town building in each case was similar. Homesteads were built first, which congregated around crossroads, river fords or ports, depots, mines, sawmills, or other natural points of commercial activity. This was followed by the construction of temporary tent and woodframe commercial buildings. When business activity was sufficient, the temporary wood-frame buildings were replaced by more permanent masonry commercial buildings. Many of these masonry buildings still populate the original downtown areas.
