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.
J.B. Newhall – Iowa’s First Rock Star. In 1834, Massachusetts’ native John B. Newhall arrived in Burlington, opening up a general store with two relatives. Over the next fifteen years, Newhall – who was known to his Burlington Hawk-Eye readers as Che-Mo-Ko-Mon – became nothing short of a regional celebrity, authoring three guidebooks that proved to be invaluable to those who were relocating to this beautiful “This Is The Place” land called Iowa.
Parvin & Aldrich – Making & Collecting Iowa History. Coming to Iowa from Ohio, serving as Governor Lucas’ private secretary, T.S. Parvin goes on to become one of Iowa’s most influential leaders during its first six decades. By the mid-1800’s, Iowa became the home of Charles Aldrich, and together, these two men made history and became impressive collectors of all things Iowa. Theodore S. Parvin and Charles Aldrich – two friends who left their unique mark in Iowa history.
The Old Stone Capitol Remembers – Benjamin F. Shambaugh. Professor Shambaugh was born in 1871 near Clinton, growing up as an Iowa farm boy yet always with a deep hunger for education. Over time, he became a dynamic administrator and teacher, authoring three books – the best known of which is The Old Stone Capitol Remembers (1939), editing nine more, and writing scores of articles as the first Supervisor/Editor of the State Historical Society of Iowa. Here at Our Iowa Heritage, his writings have served as a cornerstone to all we have published.
William J. Petersen – Steamboat Bill. Raised on the banks of the Mighty Mississippi, this young man from Dubuque went on to become world-renowned as a history professor at SUI (1930-1968) and as the long-time supervisor for the State Historical Society of Iowa (1947-1972). Taking after Samuel Clemens, Petersen became famous because of his writings about life and steamboating on the Father of Waters.
Irving Weber – Mr. Iowa City. Named the “official historian” of Iowa City, Irving Weber was an ice cream salesman for most of his career. But when he retired in 1966, he began writing down his Iowa City memories which, over the next twenty-five years, produced more than 800 newspaper articles and eight historic books, all treasures for those who want to relive the rich heritage of Iowa City and Johnson County.
Bob Hibbs – Iowa City’s Postcard KIng. At the time of the release of his fourth book (2010), Hibbs had collected 3,200 Iowa City-themed postcards. It was that collection that stirred Bob to write his weekly Saturday Postcards article for the Iowa City Press-Citizen – a labor of love that produced over 350 treasures that cover Iowa City’s history from the very beginning right through to today.
Marybeth Slonneger – Iowa City’s Artistic Historian. Iowa City has a rich heritage of talented artists and gifted historians, but Marybeth Slonneger just might be our city’s first resident who is actually both. Come meet Marybeth and take a brief look at her fourth book (2015), Finials: A View of Downtown Iowa City.
Iowa City’s Own Herstorian – Renée Sueppel. A fifth generation Iowan, Renée Sueppel comes from a long line of brave, pioneering women. In 2008, Sueppel and her team began The Women at Iowa Project – produced by the Council on the Status of Women and the University of Iowa cable network (UITV) and designed to tell the stories of recent Iowa women graduates. Today, she continues her endeavor to bring Iowa herstories to the forefront.
Check out our list of Johnson County Historical Resources.
Our Iowa Heritage 