Iowa County Historical Society preserves area heritage for 60 years

Sixty years ago, on Nov. 19, 1963, 22 area residents gathered at the Farm Bureau building in Williamsburg to form the Iowa County Historical Society. In the decades that followed, the Society has grown to reflect the county’s heritage, preserving artifacts from the smallest household items to entire structures including log cabins, a train depot, one-room schoolhouse and even part of a farmhouse.

The Iowa County Historical Society will celebrate its 60th anniversary Saturday, Aug. 26, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Pioneer Museum, 675 East South St., Marengo. Cake and refreshments will be served and the public is invited to visit the museum and explore the exhibit grounds.

In the beginning

The officers leading the inaugural years of the Society were Carl Hogendorn, North English, president; Reta Fox, North English, vice president; Gus O’Donnell, Williamsburg, secretary/treasurer, and board of directors members Emma Blythe, Williamsburg; Donna Foster Roberts, Victor; Charles Selzer, Homestead; Clark Hinrichs, Guernsey; L.A. Winborn, Williamsburg, and Dorothy McCune, Marengo. The charter was granted on May 28, 1964.

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The Society purchased land in the 1200 block of Marengo Avenue and in 1964, the Meyer log house (circa 1861) and bachelor’s cabin (circa 1856) were moved to Marengo from near Homestead. Also that year, the Society took over maintenance of the 1861 Gritter Creek brick schoolhouse southwest of North English.

In 1984, the Society purchased the former girls 4-H building (Quonset building) and a lot at 675 E. South Street, Marengo, from the Iowa County Fair Board and created the Iowa County Historical Museum.

In 1987, four structures became part of the museum, three outdoors and one inside. The Victor Train Depot was purchased by Dale Noyes for $1, taken apart and reassembled on the museum grounds. The log home and bachelor’s cabin were moved from their previous site in Marengo to a permanent home at 675 E. South St. The 1880s Marengo home of the A.E. Hursh family was reconstructed inside the Quonset building.

Expansion continues

Next came the Bees’ Filling Station, moved onto the grounds in 1991 from Hartwick. The station was restored with antique pumps and some of the original fixtures. A new two-story exhibition building, including a workshop and restroom, was added on the south end of the original Quonset. This was called the heritage center. Cabinetry from Van’s Clothing, Victor, was made available by Junie Manatt and installed along with a display case from the Gode Department Store in Marengo. A 130-year-old walnut staircase from a rural farmhouse was installed to lead to the upstairs.

Two years later saw the organization of the resource library. Files were created and maintained on Iowa County family histories, anniversaries, photos, country schools, churches, businesses and more. Microfilm includes births, deaths, probate records, naturalization actions and census data, as well as Ladora, Victor and Williamsburg newspapers. The Marengo newspapers were available at the Marengo Public Library and the Iowa County Genealogy Society had the North English newspapers on microfilm.

Maintenance work continued off-site at the Gritter Creek Schoolhouse as well. From 2001 to 2004, improvements were made to the schoolhouse, including reconstructing and stabilizing the floor. The school’s bell tower was replaced and the interior painted. Bricks were resealed and eaves and spouting installed. The outhouse was rebuilt. A merry-go-round and teeter-totter donated by Fred Koenig were installed and painted. A new metal roof was added in 2008.

The years between 2005 and 2007 found the museum directing potential visitors to its location with an outdoor welcome sign along Eastern Avenue and new road signs on highways leading into Marengo. A new ground display board was placed outside the south gate entrance.

Following years saw additional improvements in lighting, roofing, siding, windows and ventilation throughout the Quonset building and Heritage Center. Maintenance continued on all buildings, including re-chinking and replacing logs on the bachelor’s cabin.

Technology began to aid the museum’s preservation mission as, in 2014, it moved from microfilm to digital copy of newspapers and other data currently on microfilm. In 2017, audio tour signs throughout the Marengo, Ladora and Koszta areas completed a link on the Iowa Valley Scenic Byway.

Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Society completed exterior construction of its new Heritage Barn, with help from funding from the Northeast Iowa Community Foundation and the Blaine Fund. In August of 2021, the Misel playhouse was moved to the grounds and in November, a 1926 Model T car originally purchased from Koehn Motor, Victor, was donated.

The completion of the Heritage Barn’s interior in 2022 allowed it to be filled with displays that were formerly on exhibit out-of-doors. That year also saw the purchase of a computer program for records and a podcast recorded on Preservation Oaks. The Society hosted its first fall festival on the museum grounds and showcased a number of pioneer skills with live demonstrations.

(This story was written with information gathered from an article written by Delores Tibben and originally published in the April 2023 issue of the Iowa County Historical Society’s newsletter.)