A log trading post was on the north west corner of the crossroad as early as 1820. It was a branch of the Port Royal Trading Post the the north and may have been owned and or operated by Peter Tresslar/Dresslar of White River Township, Johnson County.     George A. Dresslar moved from White River Township to Morgan County, Harrison Township in around 1870 after returning from service in the Civil War. He bought the old log trading post and opened a general store. The surrounding community came to be known as Dresslarville.

BANTA GENERAL STORE AND BEEKEEPING SUPPY

    June 30, 1877, a tornado took the lives of Mrs. Martha Dresslar and three children as well as severely injuring Mr. Dresslar and his only remaining child. Their survival was in doubt, but both recovered. Mr. Dresslar left town in 1879 and started a new business with his brother-in-law, John Graves, as a partner.

    The Yakima Tribe of the Order of Redmen built a new store building in 1880. Upstairs was a meeting hall and downstairs was leased to William and Mary Greenwood for use as a general store. Other store keepers were: Lee Brunnemer, James A. Duke, Ollie Warren and Duke & Taylor (James Duke and Albert Taylor).

    George Dresslar returned to what was by that time called Banta, in honor of local historian Judge D. D. Banta, of Johnson County. He became the first postmaster on November 22, 1883. The post office was located in the south west corner of the general store and remained there until March 31, 1904, when free rural mail delivery became available.

    In 1911, the store was purchased by Mitchell Tackitt and S.W. Tackitt. They continued the store and huckster sales started by the Greenwoods until 1924. A huckster was a door to door salesman who sold his wares from first wagons and later trucks.

Harry and Lewis A. Saint John

Harry and Lewis Saint John returned from armed service in World War II and bought the business expanding it to include Spring Sinclair Gasoline, Sinclair Opaline Motor Oil, and automobile parts, under the name of Saint John Brothers. Mrs. Bertha McColgin clerked in the store for 30 years before Mrs. Katharine Saint John, (widow of Lewis), sold the store to Boyd and Madonna Musgrave in 1963. This is a portion of an advertisment which ran in 1934 for Saint John Brothers. FREE SERVICES - To show you how much we appreciate your business, we like to wipe off your windsheld and wipe off your back window, fill your radiator with water and fill your tires with air. We are happy to give you these little services whenever you drive in. Won't you come in and let us show you that we do know how to render service?

    People stop in to get a jar of honey, a soda-pop, a loaf of bread, or just to "visit" at the store. The "Liar's Bench", built in 1935 by Saint John & Wilson, is well used, at least as a seat. The Banta General Store is an icon of a past era. A much needed reminder of a time when everybody knew everybody and "being neighborly" was a way of life.