March 11, 1894 – Iowa City’s Civil War-time postmaster – J.R. Hartsock – dies and is buried in Oakland Cemetery.

During the Civil War, moving mail quickly across the nation was a high priority. Here in Iowa City, we had a dedicated postmaster who took this job seriously, and in the process, won over the hearts of Iowa Citians. Upon J.R. Hartsock’s retirement in 1872, the new building/hotel on the southeast corner of Clinton Street & Iowa Avenue was named after him.

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March 10, 1804 – Captain Amos Stoddard represents Napoleon and also the United States in the transfer of Upper Louisiana to the United States. The Louisiana Purchase is now complete.

1803. Iowa is part of the Louisiana Purchase. 1804. Iowa is part of the District of Louisiana (Upper Louisiana), administered by Indiana Territory, governed from St. Louis. 1805. Iowa is part of the Territory of Louisiana, with the capital in St. Louis.

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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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March 9, 1966 – Kenneth Belle of H.D. Short’s & Sons relays some of his memories of growing up in Iowa City to The Press-Citizen – while an ad from that same time period invites customers to “an optimistic shoeshine”.

From owning a shoeshine box to accumulating a real estate portfolio, H.D. Short, his sons and grandson comprised three generations of Iowa City African-Americans whose legacy cannot be replicated. The building that now stands at 18 South Clinton was the family’s first acquisition and remains a vital part of the history of Iowa City’s downtown.

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