C.C. Whitten, an official for the Northwestern Railway System, bought 80 acres of land to establish a town in 1880. Whitten was incorporated in 1882 with a population of 350. By 1914, Whitten was proud of its church membership of 170, its schools, three general stores, a blacksmith shop, restaurant, bank, produce house, implement store, and two doctors. In fact, Whitten was never without a doctor until 1973 when Dr. George Blaha passed away after serving the community for 60 years.

Few original downtown buildings, churches and schools still exist. Most were lost to several devastating fires. The present school was built in 1922 and was used until late 1980’s when Whitten consolidated with Union. The building is currently available for light manufacturing. Whitten’s oldest business, Hauser Implement, started in 1922 and is still active today as a Case International Dealer. Although the business changed from a garage to a farm implement store, it has never left the ownership of the Hauser family.

The real treasure of this tiny town is its people and the stories they share.

Points of Interest
“Denise Long Park” is named after a young woman who played on the Union-Whitten Girl’s State Basketball Championship Team in 1968. The small town park offers various playground equipment, basketball court, picnic tables and grills. It is located in the 300 block of Union St.

An excellent Triple A baseball diamond is located on the southeast corner of town and is currently operated by our local school district for school ball games. Jim Speas was instrumental in organizing Triple A schedules for many years.

Craftsmen Larry and Eleanor Lott lovingly restore and refinish quality antique furniture.

Hauser Implement is the town’s largest employer with 10 full time employees. They have been in business since 1922 and offer a full line of new and used farm equipment and service.

Central Motor Classic restores and rebuilds old classic cars. They also do engine and body repair on newer models