The late Bill Gladstone wrote about John Costin, who ran the Costin store in Worth back during the turn of the 20th century. It was posted online by the Worth County Chronicle. Costin operated the store from 1899 to 1910, when he sold it to his son, Dick. Several other people subsequently ran the store there until the Worth Tornado destroyed it in 1947.
Costin was one of the original families of Worth County; he moved there in 1855 when it was still part of Gentry County. The land back then was considered swamp land, and he acquired a ton of land that others considered worthless. For that, he was nicknamed “Swampy.” In 1878, he owned around 920 acres of land, and by 1902, he owned around 1,100.
Costin served as the Worth County Treasurer in 1864 and Worth County Sheriff and Collector in 1868 and 1870.
In 1866, Costin presented a petition to the Worth County Commission asking that the county seat be moved back to Smithton, which was the original county seat. That petition was denied. However, a post office was established there in 1875, which was known as the Prohibition Post Office.
Costin also operated stores in Oxford, Smithton, and Grant City.
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