After the Schwab family opened a general store and gin, Hochheim became a trade stop between Indianola and Austin. A railroad was constructed through the town connecting the two cities. By 1870, the town had two grocery stores, a drugstore and a blacksmith shop. That year, a post office was established in the town. Sometime between 1870 and 1880, a Masonic Lodge was built at the turn of the century that served as a school, church and community center. The German Methodist Church was present in the town as early as 1864, and a Presbyterian church moved to the city in 1882, remaining in the town until 1961. By 1885, 200 people lived in Hochheim with ten businesses operating in the area. The population reached its peak of 261 in 1904, and dwindled to around 100 between the 1920s and 1950s.