October 23, 1900 – Herb Gartzke – named “Iowa City’s unofficial historian” in 1987 – is born in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin.
On July 4 1881, Iowa City opened its brand new, state-of-the-art City Hall. Atop the building, an ornate clock tower housed a 1800-pound bell that rang out across Iowa City for many decades. Reports say the bell was so effective, it could be heard as far away as West Branch! When City Hall was razed in 1962, Herb Gartzke, our historical hero, appeared on the scene to rescue both the bell and clock works, keeping these icons safe from the wrecking ball. Today both the City Hall clock and bell have been restored and are back at work in downtown Iowa City.
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