Our Iowa Heritage: An Introduction. We might suggest you start here! Here’s how & why I got started collecting stamps, coins, and other Iowa memorabilia.
2/2/25 – Caitlin Clark – Forever 22. After four years of elevating Hawkeye Women’s Basketball to never-before-seen success, Caitlin Clark returned to Iowa City on February 2, 2025 for the distinct honor of having her jersey – No. 22 – permanently retired. The day couldn’t have been scripted better – even by Hollywood. Come re-live the day!
April 2025 – Hawkeye Women’s Basketball Returns To Coralville. The Iowa Women’s Basketball Team returns to Coralville to support the cause of the Coralville Community Food Pantry. This time, first-year Hawkeye coach Jan Jensen and former Hawkeye WBB star Kate Martin make a visit to CCFP.
Meet Iowa City’s Mayors – 1853 To Today. After fourteen years as an independent community with no ties to Territorial or State government, in 1853, the people of Iowa City voted to officially become an incorporated city. With that decision, came city government and our first city mayor and city council. Forty years after Irving Weber’s ‘Mayors of Iowa City’ articles are printed, OIH publishes a 7-page overview of Iowa City’s Mayors – 1853 to 2025. Click here for the Introduction page.
Volume I: Mayors #1 through #12 – 1853-1869
Volume II: Mayors #13 through #24 – 1869-1887
Volume III: Mayors #25 through #36 – 1887-1925
Volume IV: Mayors #37 through #48 – 1925-1961
Volume V: Mayors #49 through #60 – 1961-1982
Volume VI: Mayors #61 through #73 – 1982-Present
Preserving Iowa City’s Rich Airport Heritage. In 2024/2025, the Iowa City Airport Commission looks to expand and update its aging facilities, and one idea is to replace the iconic Administration Building & Terminal with a new, larger building. Designed by Iowa City’s famed architect – Henry L Fisk – the terminal opened in 1953, so today, our hope is to find a creative way to preserve the past while looking ahead to the future. Come join the conversation.
The Transportation History Center Of Johnson County. Because of our rich 185+ year transportation history, we here, at Our Iowa Heritage are working alongside The Johnson County Historical Society (JCHS), The City of Iowa City, The Friends of Historical Preservation (FHP), and other interested parties to secure the CRI&P Railroad Depot located at 115 Wright Street in Iowa City, re-storing and re-purposing this iconic treasure into a historical center where many – both young and old – can come and re-visit our rich Johnson County transportation heritage. Come join in our efforts!
1975 – 2025 Celebrating 50 Years Of Marriage. On July 12, 1975, Sandy Unrue from Elkhart, Indiana married Marty Boller from Iowa City. In July 2025, the couple celebrated their 50th anniversary, and to commemorate these five decades of wedded bliss, we have put together four web pages that bring together some facts, figures, and, of course, a few fun pictures from those days long ago when Marty & Sandy were first building their relationship.
Vol. I – March 2, 1974 to February 22, 1975 – The First Dates.
Vol II – February 22, 1975 to July 11, 1975 – Planning A Wedding.
Vol III – July 12, 1975 – The Special Day.
Vol IV – July 12 – July 24 – The Honeymoon.
Iowa PBS – Kinnick Stadium: The Insiders’ Tour. In July 2025, we had the unique opportunity to take in one of the Iowa PBS Kinnick Stadium Insiders’ Tours. Come with us as we visit spots in Kinnick that most Hawkeye fans never get to see: The Paul W. Brechler Press Box, The Hawkeye Locker Room, The Infamous Visitor’s Pink Locker Room, and The Walk Through The Hawkeye Tunnel onto Duke Slater Field.
Saving SHSI & Iowa City’s Centennial Building. In the late spring of 2025, it was quietly announced that the State Historical Society of Iowa (SHSI) Centennial Building in Iowa City would be permanently closed – effective December 31, 2025. The staff in Iowa City was immediately dismissed, the building effectively closed (except by appointment only), and little details were given to the public about how and when the vast collection of historical materials would be re-located to Des Moines. Public outcry was immediate, and today, there is a growing number of Iowans who are calling for this sudden, and poorly-planned decision to be reversed. This page is dedicated to that purpose. Come join our efforts!
Tracking The History Of SHSI. Did you know that the State Historical Society of Iowa (SHSI) was birthed 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.
October 2025 – Iowa City’s Hummer’s Bell Returns Home. Have you heard the good news? After 175+ years, the 782-pound Troy Foundry Bell from 1846 – that once rang proudly on the streets of Iowa City – is finally making the long 1,180 mile journey back home from Salt Lake City! Hummer’s Bell is coming back home!
FHP – 50th Anniversary Celebration. On Saturday, November 1, 2025 – Friends of Historic Preservation (FHP) celebrated our 50th Anniversary. This page offers an overview of our special celebration held at Old Brick.
2026 Prognostications From 1976 Iowa City. As part of The Press-Citizen‘s huge 1976 Bicentennial project, nine area students – ranging from elementary school thru high school – were asked to peer fifty years into the future and write a short essay projecting what life might look like for those living in Iowa City in 2026. Fifty years have now passed, and we thought it would be fun to offer up these nine student prognostications from 1976.
1928-2028: Celebrating The Iconic UI Hospital Gothic Tower. With a $2,225,000 gift from the Rockefeller Foundation and matching funds from the state, architect Amos B. Emery is hired to design a new, state-of-the-art general hospital for the University of Iowa. The 31-year-old, with his love of Gothic architecture, created a 750-bed, three-wing red-brick building, but topped it off with a 210-foot-high Gothic Tower at the center of it all. The SUI General Hospital opened in November 1928, and now 100 years later, we all look back at some of the memorable photographs of this iconic cornerstone located on the west side of the Iowa River.