1967 Iowa City – Then And Now.

*The Palimpsest* was a historical magazine published by *The State Historical Society of Iowa* beginning in 1920 until it was renamed *Iowa Heritage Illustrated* in 1996. It was published monthly from 1920-1972, bimonthly from 1973-1985, and quarterly after 1986, **with the last issue being Volume 76 – Number 4, Winter 1995.** *You can access all of The Palimpsest magazines here.*

READ THE FULL HISTORY OF SHSI IN IOWA CITY HERE!

While every issue over the 75 years (1920-1995) of The Palimpsest has great historic value, we’ve chosen the February 1967 volume to share with you here. As you can see from the index above, this unique “special edition” – dedicated to Iowa City Through The Years – included nine informative articles written by one of Iowa’s best-known historians – Benjamin F. Shambaugh. These articles first appeared in the May 1939 edition of The Palimpsest – Volume 20 – Number 5 (see below) – as Iowa City was celebrating its 100th anniversary.

So, let’s start off this celebration of The Palimpsest and its salute to Iowa City with Shambaugh’s short two-page introduction to Iowa City…

**Benjamin F. Shambaugh** (1871-1940) – Historian, political scientist, educator, author and first Superintendent of the State Historical Society of Iowa. His book The Old Stone Capitol Remembers is an Iowan classic and a must-read for every Johnson County historian. You can read more here.

You can read how the Iowa Territorial Legislature got interested in Johnson County here.

So, finally, we’re down to the tenth and final article in the February 1967 edition. Here, we’ll take the eight-page article in short sections, giving you some additional resources along the way. As you’ll see, this volume of The Palimpsest included twenty-plus pages of priceless illustrations. We’ve included them here as well…

William J. Petersen served as a history professor at the University of Iowa for thirty-eight years (1930-1968). During much of that time, Peterson also worked with the State Historical Society of Iowa in Iowa City. In 1947, after volunteering seventeen years as a research associate, Mr. Iowa History – as he was known around campus – was appointed Superintendent, following in the illustrious shoes of the great Iowa historian, Benjamin F. Shambaugh. You can read more about Petersen here.

Petersen begins his article by starting with Iowa City’s huge population boom of the 1850’s, followed with comments addressing the financial bust of 1857…

You can read about the early days of the State University of Iowa (SUI) here.

You can read about the arrival of the railroad in Iowa City in 1856 here.

*Above is **L. Judson’s 1839 map of Iowa City** – the first map of our fair community. You can read more here.* *Below, are two additional maps from those early years.*

You can read about Iowa City’s first 24 streets and how they got their names here.

You can read about Iowa City’s nickname – Athens of Iowa – here.

You can read about John P. Irish and The State Press here.

You can read about Thomas S. Parvin and The State Historical Society of Iowa here.

You can read about Iowa and the Civil War here.

You can read about the Normal School which, in the early years, kept SUI afloat here.

You can read about SUI’s South Hall – built in 1861 – here.

You can read about SUI’s North Hall – built in 1865 – here.

You can read about the birth of Coralville here.

You can read about the breweries of Iowa City here.

You can read about Elizabeth Irish’s Business College here.

You can read about St. Agatha’s Women’s Seminary – sponsored by St. Mary’s Catholic Church – here.

You can read about when the P.T. Barnum Circus came to Iowa City here.

You can read about Close Hall – Iowa City’s home for the YMCA & YWCA – here.

You can read about the 1860’s in Iowa City here.

You can read about the 1870’s in Iowa City here.

You can read about the 1880’s in Iowa City here.

You can read about the 1890’s in Iowa City here.

You can read about the 1900’s-1910’s in Iowa City here.

You can read about the 1920’s in Iowa City here.

You can read about the 1930’s in Iowa City here.

You can read about the business community of Iowa City – at the turn of the century – here.

You can read about the 1940’s in Iowa City here.

You can read about the 1950’s in Iowa City here.

You can read about the 1960’s in Iowa City here.

You can read about the growth of University of Iowa athletics here.

You can read about these three Iowa City churches and two other extant buildings from the 1880’s here.

So, there you have it. A wonderful glimpse back at the earliest days of Iowa City, as viewed from the 1960’s!

Kudos to Iowa historians – Benjamin F. Shambaugh and William J. Petersen, The State Historical Society of Iowa, and, of course, The Palimpsest. Seventy-five years of excellent reporting on Iowa history – a treasure trove for all Hawkeyes interested in our past. Thanks for the memories!