[Illustration: The Carter home
510 So. Twelfth Street]
A Fort Dodge industrialist who operated a culvert manufacturing company
and an iron and steel mill here more than a half century ago, built this
large home at 510 S. 12th St. in 1915.
He was Charles L. Carter, who with a number of other Fort Dodgers
organized and operated the Fort Dodge Culvert Company in the vicinity of
Sixth Avenue North and Seventh Street. In addition to the south Twelfth
Street home he also erected the three-story building at 1018-1020
Central Avenue known in recent years as the Dunsmoor or Dee Building.
This building is now owned by Dodger Homes, a partnership of Fort Dodge
men including Leo Bevien, William Gibb, Gene Marchi and Richard Koberg.
Carter purchased the building lot for his home in 1914 and the following
year erected the home which has a stucco exterior. Originally the house
had a large living room that extended across the front interior, a sun
room, dining room and kitchen on the first floor. On the second floor
were three bedrooms, two sleeping porches, sewing room and bath.
Carter’s Central Avenue building had living quarters on the second and
third floors known as the Carter Apartments. The first floor had a large
room occupied by various business firms through the years and another
room leased out to a motion picture theater. The theater operated under
the name of the Majestic, Pokadot and finally the Dodge. The building
apartments are now known as the Dee Apartments.
The Fort Dodge Culvert Company had its original plant at 529 N. 7th St.,
only a short distance from the Fort Dodge Baseball Park where the city’s
Central Association League teams played their games. Carter was
secretary-treasurer of the culvert firm.
From culvert manufacturing the company expanded into the steel and iron
business and operated under the name of Fort Dodge Culvert and Iron
Mills Company. The office was at 14 S. 6th St., plant and steel mill at
624 N. 7th St. Carter was president of the firm; C. E. Kitchen, vice
president; and R. M. Stevens, secretary-treasurer. In 1923 the company
again changed its name to Fort Dodge Culvert and Steel Company with
Carter as president; J. W. Amond, vice president; W. L. Tang,
secretary-treasurer; and W. G. Warner, sales manager. The business
continued in operation until about 1927.
A. R. Williams, Fort Dodge realtor, purchased the Carter residence in
1938 and the Williams family resided there for many years. The house is
now owned by Williams’ widow, Irene M. Williams and apartments are
rented out.