John Barta was born near Prague, Czechoslovakia, in 1879, and as a young man served with the Austrian cavalry.  He came to the United States in 1903 and settled in Springfield, South Dakota.  In 1914, he moved to Hillside and married Johanna Breckenfelder, a member of a pioneer Hillside family.

John Barta served as a Village Trustee from April, 1924 to February, 1938. He was appointed lieutenant of the Hillside Volunteer Fire Department in May, 1926 and served in this capacity for many years.

In 1938, John Barta became the Superintendent of Public Works for the Village and remained in this position until his retirement in 1960 at the age of 80.