Chalmer and M.T. Close
Chalmer and M.T. Close arrived in Iowa City in 1854 from their birthplace in upstate New York when the Old Capitol was still the statehouse. They promptly went to work, opening several businesses and amassing considerable wealth.
Working as partners, the Close brothers opened the first ice house on the river, started a candle factory in 1856, which later made lard and soap, opened a linseed oil mill in 1861 and established the first paper mill in Iowa in 1866. The paper mill employed as many as 50 people.
The linseed oil mill was across from the Close mansion at 538 S. Gilbert St., which itself served many purposes over the years. The Acacia fraternity bought the house in 1923, and Johnson County began using the building in the 1930s. It served as the county orphanage for a decade and then as the county welfare office from 1949 to 1979. The house now is a furniture store and interior design studio.
The Close paper mill, located at the dam in Coralville, produced six tons of paper daily and operated around the clock. But it was the scene of one of early Johnson County’s worst tragedies when a chemical reducing tank in the plant exploded July 23, 1875, killing six workers.
Both brothers were active in the Republican Party and served on the Iowa City Council at times. M.T. also served on the school board, and Chalmer was director of the Burlington Northern Railroad, vice president of Johnson County Savings Bank and vice president of the National Linseed Oil Co. of Chicago.
After Chalmer’s death in 1890, his widow pledged $10,000 toward construction of a local YM/YWCA building called Close Hall, which was on the corner of Dubuque Street and Iowa Avenue, the current site of the new biology building.
The 1883 “History of Johnson County, Iowa” said of the Close brothers: “In all positions of honor, profit or trust, they have both proved faithful and competent representatives of any business entrusted to their care.”
Editor’s note: A photo of M.T. Close could not be located.