Mystery Photo

Winfield Historical Society and Museum provides photos of Winfield’s past each week for Beacon readers. Do you know the when, where, who or what seen in this week’s photograph?

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Last week’s answer:

Do you recognize a couple well-known business owners in the photo?

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These Maxwell-Hillyard employees pose for a photo in front of a window display for the men serving in World War II. Front row from left: Homer Hillyard, Virginia Hillyard, Ralph Johnson. Back row from left: Ed Brocker, Guy Maxwell, Ross Wheeler, and Bill Youngman.

Virgina and Homer were well known business owners in the Winfield community. They came to the town in the 1940s when Homer signed on to become a John Deere dealer. Homer became a partner with his father-in-law, Guy Maxwell. The two purchased the John Deere Dealership in 1941.

The Maxwell-Hillyard partnership expanded from a John Deere dealership to include hardware store with Virginia keeping the books. By 1952 Virginia and Homer ran Hillyard Implement Co. on their own as her parents returned to farming.

While the business was located on Main Street for many years, the Hillyards moved it to the east side of town in 1968. The Hillyard business continued to grow and gain recognition even beyond Winfield as one of the largest John Deere businesses in Iowa according to sales. Before the Hillyards eventually sold the business and then retired, it grew to include selling corn shellers on GMC trucks and selling and erecting Butler grain bins and buildings.

Homer kept hold of the dealership portion of the business until his retirement in 1979. He passed away in 1992. Virginia passed away nearly 30 years later in 2020.

The two had five children Neil, Rita, Jean Ann, Janet, and Susan and the Hillyard family is well-known throughout the Winfield and Mt. Union communities even to this day.

Comments: AnnaMarie.Kruse@southeastiowaunion.com