HCRSPA visits Henry County Heritage Museum Complex

The Henry County Retired School Personnel Association began its new year with a visit to the Henry County Heritage Trust Museum Complex. The Henry County Museum and the Iowa Wesleyan Archives are located in the Saunders Elementary School Building. The James Van Allen Family home was moved to the Saunders lot, renovated and restored. Two sections of the vast collection were chosen for exploration on July 10: the James Van Allen House and the Iowa Wesleyan Archives. Two groups were formed, and the tour began.

The first group walked the short distance to the Van Allen House where two of our own were waiting. Sue Loescher and Rosemary Peck became docents as they led the tour. Sue guided her group through the rooms downstairs. She presented a shortened version of the family tree and described the Van Allen lifestyle, principles and values. Rosemary directed her group through the upstairs bedrooms and study areas.

The house is striking in its frugality. The four boys were known to have commented on the fact that they lived as though they were poor. Built in 1862, one first notices that there is no heat in any of the rooms. Houses of this era were usually built with multiple chimneys and fireplaces. Pot bellied stoves occurred in many rooms. One can’t help but wonder if this was a deliberate construction decision by George Clinton Van Allen. One luxury was added in 1907 — closets. Closets were left out of home because they had doors. If the space had a door it was considered a room. Property taxes were determined by the number of rooms and therefore a closet caused property taxes to rise. To truly appreciate all the facets of generation after generation growing up in one location, More than one visit is needed to the Van Allen House.

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The second group exited the meeting room and went directly to the IW archive room. Spencer Barton, Archivist, and Pat White, Treasurer HCHT, were hosts. Spencer Barton was the Director of the Harlan-Lincoln House when IWU dissolved. He was able to stay on and oversee the integration of the archives. The room is packed with items from the Iowa Wesleyan Archives. Although everyone refers to the materials as the Iowa Wesleyan Archives, the reality is the information is wide ranging and contains historical information about Henry County and the surrounding area.

Community and Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility volunteers boxed and transported treasures from the Wesleyan library to Saunders. Even the Heritage Trust Board helped take down shelving and save it for use. It took three days to move everything to Saunders. Spencer was then faced with inventorying, organizing and cataloging all the many items. That work goes on yet today.

The Archive Room isn’t really a display room. Spencer and Pat have used the walls and tops of the filing cabinets to display artifacts as attractively as they can. The room is actually designed to be used as a study and research area. It will take years and some dedicated projects to properly mine the information and historical importance of the collection. The IW Archive room is a valuable asset to Henry County and will be an important Southeast Iowa resource for years to come.

Most HCRSPA members found the highlight of the room to be the restored Croaker display. This marvelous arrangement of frogs was restored by Tony Brown. Tony is a taxidermist of note and a conservationist serving on the Henry County Conservation Department Board.

It was, “a fun day, one of the best ever,” said HCRSPA Member Mike Messer.

Messer attended Saunders Elementary School and many memories sprang forth. Mike taught 30 years in San Antonio, Texas and has returned to Mount Pleasant to “retire.”

The Mission of Henry County Heritage Trust (HCHT) is to preserve historic memories and artifacts, and to promote and celebrate Henry County, Iowa, and its people. In addition to the Archives and the Van Allen House, displays about Henry County Veterans, Rural Schools and Education, Churches, Arts & Industries and Towns and Townships Around the County provide historical context. The Donald E. Young Research Library is a favorite stop for genealogists & family historians.

Visit https://www.henrycountyheritagetrust.org/ for more insight Henry County Heritage Trust.