January 30, 1912 – The Iowa City Daily Press informs its readers that new owner, T.A. Hanlon, has now opened his new Iowa Theatre.

After Fred Dever moved his Pastime Theatre, T.A. (Buck) Hanlon brought his Iowa Theatre into the open spot at 14 S. Dubuque Street. Records indicate that pouring money into the Iowa paid good benefits for Hanlon and his wife – including the addition of a brand new $2,000 piano!

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January 29, 1908 – The Iowa City Citizen publishes this ad (above right) for O.H. Fink’s Cigar Store – known to all the locals as “Dad”.

In 1865, German immigrant J.G. Fink partnered with fellow tobacconist H.J. Wieneke to start a successful tobacco & cigar store in Iowa City. After his death, J.G.’s son – Otto – joined with Wieneke, picking up where his father left off, becoming known as Dad at Fink’s Cigar Store located in the ritzy St. James Hotel on Clinton Street.

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This Day In History is an Our Iowa Heritage blog series that offers you a little bit of Iowa trivia from a large selection of stories on our website. Subscribe to this FREE blog and you’ll get a new email from us daily. Click to learn more.

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January 28, 1857 – The Sixth General Assembly of Iowa, meeting in Iowa City establishes annual provision for a State Historical Society, charging it with the assignment of collecting and preserving Iowa’s history, formalizing its creation “in connection with, and under the auspices of the State University of Iowa”.

Did you know that the State Historical Society of Iowa (SHSI) was formed right here in Iowa City in 1857? Did you also know that over the last 168 years (1857-2025), SHSI has had its offices and historical collections on or near campus – in seven different Iowa City locations? From Old Capitol to Schaeffer Hall, and from an Old Stone Church to the UI Centennial Building, SHSI has shown its faithful commitment to bringing the important stories of Iowa’s past into the everyday lives of today’s UI students.

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This Day In History is an Our Iowa Heritage blog series that offers you a little bit of Iowa trivia from a large selection of stories on our website. Subscribe to this FREE blog and you’ll get a new email from us daily. Click to learn more.

Click here to go on to the next date…