Beason Christian Society Church was organized in
1874. The Centennial Book says they “had pastors when any were
available.” In 1875, Stringer said the Christian Society built a
house of worship. By 1886, the church had become inactive.
In 1877, the Methodists moved into their church building, which had
previously been erected a mile east of the present site of Beason.
The Methodist Church is still part of the community today.
Other churches in or near Beason over the years included the Harmony
Church, Central Point Church and Blue Grass Church.
Community organizations
Beason’s 125th Celebration Historical Book shares information about
some of the community organizations
Beason Busy Bees 4-H club was organized in 1928. Their first meeting
was May 23, 1928. By 1972, there was also Beason Ag 4-H Club, led by
Ron and Katie Fink. Once the Finks moved, Nancy Drake took over.
Soon, the Beason Busy Bees and Beason Ag Club merged into Beason Ag.
The Beason Ag 4-H Club was 4-H Club of the year six times between
the late 1980s and early 1990s, and several members had projects
that were state delegates.
Since 1953, Beason has been a part of the Lincoln Rural Fire
Department. A building for their newly purchased fire truck was
built on land next to Beason Town Hall. In 1966, an addition to the
firehouse was built with room for a kitchen and bathroom. In 1997, a
new firehouse was built with room for two fire trucks and a rescue
vehicle and additional space for more trucks if needed. As of 2022,
Beason still has a fire station.
The Beason Community Committee established in 2015 helped plan the
upcoming celebration and other programs. These include an annual
Easter Egg Hunt, Trunk or Treat and Christmas Tree Lighting.
Schools
Final
graduating class at Beason Grade School
The Beason School was built in 1893. The high school closed in 1975
and students from Beason have attended Lincoln Community High School
ever since.
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Mount Zion School District was in Beason from around
1906 to 1947, when it merged with the Beason Community Grade School.
The Mount Zion School has since been torn down.
The grade school closed at the end of the 1993-1994 school year.
Since then, children from Beason have been attending Chester-East
Lincoln School.
Sports
Beason High School sports included boys’ basketball, baseball, cross
country and track. A site about the Beason High School Yellowjackets
shows their basketball team was the Logan County Tournament champion
the 1923-1924 school year. They were also district champions a few
times over the years and qualified for the regional tournament in
1960.
During the 1960s, basketball player Bobby Guy led the state in
scoring his senior year.
In 1974-1975, the high school’s final year, Brad Reinhart and Jeff
Clements competed in the state track meet finals.
Government
Before Beason was established, Logan County had divided into
townships in 1867. Beason is part of Oran Township, whose township
board became a governing entity in 1867 that provides road
maintenance, tax assessment and general assistance. In recent years,
the board has helped take care of the park in the center of town and
planned and installed streetlights throughout the village.
The Oran Township Board consists of a supervisor, clerk, road
commissioner and four trustees. Many have served in these roles over
the years.
Current township board members who started terms in 2021 that will
end in 2025 include:
Supervisor Tina Rusk, Clerk Kim Wiggers de Otte, Road Commissioner
Steve Hyde and Trustees Kyle Atteberry, Harold Drake, Amanda Gray
and Dan Rusk.
[Angela Reiners]
LDN will wrap up this four part series on the 150th
anniversary of Beason. Tomorrow the last segment will talk
about the people who have helped shape the community throughout its
history.
Past articles
Beason marks
150 years
Part 1: Beason gets its start
Part 2: Businesses |