by

Julie A. Gale

    John Milton Overman was born in Highland County, Ohio, on November 11, 1817. He married Phebe Jane Cooper on June 25, 1840, and they had nine children together. Overman moved to the Sturgis Falls area in December 1847, with his brother Dempsey. Together, the brothers bought land and a water mill owned by William Sturgis. They were responsible for changing the settlement’s name from Sturgis Falls to Cedar Falls. [1] In February 1848, the brothers brought their families to Cedar Falls. By this time, the sawmill they had built was up and running. In 1850, they added a gristmill and the manufacturing of flour became a very profitable business. [2] 

    John Overman was among the first proprietors of Cedar Falls, along with a few other pioneers. He built a large house and had lots of property. A drawing of his home survives today. With his brother, he donated 66 lots to the county to help raise money to provide for county offices. John Overman became the first mayor of Cedar Falls in 1851. [3] He helped to organize the first school district in the city and became a member of the school board. He also performed duties as postmaster, overseer of the poor, and served in other official capacities. Overman was described as "an active spirit in all the public enterprises of the city… [who] subscribed liberally when means were required to promote its interests." [4] He was also remembered in his obituary as having unbounded physical energy and a strong mentality. [5] John Milton Overman died on June 3, 1906, at the age of 89. Overman Park in Cedar Falls, which is located on a piece of land donated by John and his brother, Dempsey, is dedicated to them and other pioneer settlers of Cedar Falls. It is named in their honor. 

Footnotes

1. History of Black Hawk County Iowa and Its People (Chicago: SJ Clarke Publishing Company, 1915), 273. 

2. Hake, Herb, 101 Stories of Cedar Falls (Cedar Falls: The Record, 1977), 3-4. 

3. History of Black Hawk County Iowa and Its People (Chicago: SJ Clarke Publishing Company, 1915), 275. 

4. "First Mayor Called Home," Cedar Falls Daily Record, 4 June 1906, 1. 

5. "First Mayor Called Home," Cedar Falls Daily Record, 4 June 1906, 1. 

  Bibliography

"First Mayor Called Home." The Cedar Falls Daily Record, June 4, 1906, 1. 

Hake, Herb. 101 Stories of Cedar Falls. Cedar Falls: The Record, 1977. 

History of Black Hawk County Iowa and Its People. Chicago: SJ Publishing Company, 1915.