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.
Surveying the Life of Cyrus Sanders – Iowa City Pioneer. In 1839, a 21-year-old Ohio native made his way west to Iowa. Back home, he’d learned the fine art of surveying as he worked for the Little Miami Railroad. So when he added that talent to farming, this young man made a successful transition from being a Buckeye to becoming a Hawkeye. Later in life, he became one of Johnson County’s most gifted historical writers.
Cyrus Sanders – My 1839 Iowa Adventure. Come on a one-year trek into unexplored Johnson County with a 21-year-old farmer/surveyor from Ohio who journaled his way through this amazing pioneer adventure. From Cincinnati to Burlington to Napoleon and Iowa City, follow Sanders’ path by reading directly from his personal diary.
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 Settlers Of Johnson County – 1866-1925. In the early 1860’s, the pioneers of Johnson County who had lived here for at least 20 years formed Iowa’s very first Old Settlers’ Association. From their very first “festival” in 1866 to their big reunions of the 1920’s, the OSA left a rich history for us via their annual yearbooks and those two beautiful log cabins built for future generations in City Park.
Ahoy, Frederick Irish – The Iowa City Sea Captain. In 1838, a whaling captain from New York City rode a horse to Iowa, eventually settling in Iowa City. F.M. Irish became an early mover and shaker of the city, serving as one of Iowa City’s first historians, writing a lengthy, first-hand account in 1868.
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.
Benjamin Shambaugh – Some Interesting Facts – Volume I. Here, we share some of Shambaugh’s writings that focused on Iowa City’s first year of existence – 1839. From its inception by declaration of law in January 1839 to the sale of the first plots of land in August & October 1839, here’s a brief overview of Iowa’s new capital city.
Benjamin Shambaugh – Some Interesting Facts – Volume II. Here, we share some of Shambaugh’s writings that focused on Iowa City’s first years of existence – 1839-1841. From the very limited transportation options getting into the city to the very first businesses that opened their doors, here’s a brief overview of Iowa’s new capital city.
Benjamin Shambaugh – Some Interesting Facts – Volume III. Here, we share some of Shambaugh’s writings that focused on Iowa City’s first years of existence – 1839-1842. From the very first spade of dirt dug out of the ground in July 1839 to the opening of the first Territorial Legislative session in December 1842, here’s a brief overview of Iowa’s new capitol building (today’s Old Capitol).
J.E.R. – Iowa City’s Cannon Ball Newsgatherer. In 1901, when Jacob E. Reizenstein took over as the city editor at The Daily Iowa State Press, he was well-known by most Iowa Citians since he had served as the editor of The Iowa City Republican for thirteen years. But now, with what would later become The Iowa City Press-Citizen, J.E.R. would publish – between 1924 and 1959 – hundreds of articles that recounted Iowa City’s rich heritage, while becoming a true mentor to our city’s best-known historian – Irving Weber.
Iowa City’s Bell Keeper – Herb Gartzke. 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 city’s hero – named “Iowa City’s unofficial historian” in 1987, 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.
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.
Welcome To Irving Weber’s Writings – The Index. Without a doubt, Irving B. Weber’s writings from the 1970’s to the 1990’s are vitally important to the preservation of Johnson County, Iowa history. Thus, here at Our Iowa Heritage, we’ve taken the liberty to INDEX the material from Weber’s eight classic books. It’s our hope that this resource – which provides indexing links to the contents of Weber’s books – will help historians, both today and in the future, access these valuable resources!
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.
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.
Johnson County Historical Resources. Over the last one-hundred and fifty years, there have been local historians who have painstakingly laid out the stories of our county, leaving us a treasure trove of facts and figures, names and places. Allow me here to introduce you to nine key historic resources, written from 1868 to the present, with on-line links included so you can easily access them as well.
Check out our list of Johnson County Historical Resources.