The following is the history of the Sterling Community and the Sterling Churches. It was written by Rev. Forrest Gordon Clark, with the aid of the Homecoming committee, Mrs. Flora Scarborough of Sabula and Miss Flora Menneke, of Miles. Calvin Bryant read it at the Homecoming
The two of Sterling, located in Iowa township, derived its name from one of its earliest settlers, Sterling Dille, a man much interested in civic affairs. Mr. Dille was also interest in religion and served as a Sabbath School Superintendent. Another early settler was C.S. Ferguson who came to Sterling in 1849.
He built a small house for himself and family and a hotel. It was his son, Alfred C. Ferguson who had the village surveyed and platted in the fall of 1851. Alfred also was much interested in the welfare of the community. He was an able businessman of fine character, and was concerned in the erection of most of the houses of the community, both dwellings and other buildings.
The latter soon consisted of a church, a hotel, two stores, two cooper shops, a carpenter and cabinet shop, wagon shop, shoe shop, barber shop, tailor shop, meat market, gun smith and brick yard and three saloons. At this time, there were twenty-five or thirty dwelling houses.
Amont the early immigrants were the Grahams, Davis, Dynes, and Cotter families, who came from Canada. The Bryants came from England and the Corlis family from Michigan
The shops and homes entirely surrounded the site of the present church, and extended almost to the cemetery on the east.
Another early settler of Sterling, still remembered, was Solomon Marr, a wagon maker, who also kept seasoned walnut lumber on hand for making coffins. Mrs. Flora Scarborough, 84, and living in Sabula (who joined the Methodist church at Sterling seventy years ago) well remembers how with the children in the school nearby, she used to visit his shop to collect shaving curls for her hair, and if possiable to catch a glimpse of Mr. Marr's coffin, stored away in the attic of his shop. Mr. Marr also made Walnut drop leaf tables and other furniture.
The original source of the city's water supply was a spring north of the present church. In Teanby Hollow, whence water was carried by hand to the school and homes. Nels Kyarsgaard, the father of Chris Kyarsgaard, of Miles, carried water as a boy with the aid of a special yoke fashioned to fit his shoulders by his father in the family blacksmith shop, located just north of the cemetery.
Cotter's Grove, which stretched north and west from the Sterling corners to the Jim Taplin homestead was, because of its natural beauty, a favorite spot in the early days for picnics and open air meetings. For many years a Fourth of July picnic was held there. People came from all parts of the county. The annual Sabbath school picnic was also held there. Among the many different kinds of trees that grew in the Grove, hickory predominated.
A postoffice was maintained in Sterling from 1853 to 1897. The stagecoach, enroute from Sabula to Marquoketa, delivered the Sterling mail. Later, the mail was picked up from Sabula three times weekly and distributed from business houses of the town, including the Mike Hansen store.
The future of Sterling was eclipsed when the railroad, instead of going through its first survey went through "Shoofly," now Miles, named after the Miles family. The town that once included twelve blocks, and about fifty business houses and dwellings, with a population of 200 in 1913 now has nearly lost its identity with the advent of modern day commerce and machinery. The groves have disappeared completely, the spring has dried up, nearly every one of the old buildings has been taken down, and most of the old-timers have passed on or moved away. The last regular preaching service in the Methodist church was held in 1931, and the school was consolidated with Miles this year. Only the cemetery remains in business.
