https://hiddeniowa.substack.com/

Hidden Iowa, Anamosa, IA (2026)

05/01/2026

For years, Dave and I had the pleasure of hearing stories about the joys of teaching pre-school from his sister, Juanita Summers Hall. She was a beloved Head Start teacher in Rock Island. Her stories about her little pupils were always laced with humor and hope.
We take pre-school for granted today, but it wasn’t always a “thing.” It came about due to the efforts of several Iowa woman. One of those women was Beth Lucy Wellman. She was born in Clarion, Iowa, in 1895. Clarion is a stone’s throw from Wellman, Iowa, the town that was named after her father. She graduated from Ames High School in 1912, then went on to get a BA from the Iowa State Teacher’s College and later a PhD.

Beth took a position as a Research Assistant at the newly formed Iowa Child Welfare Research Station (ICWRS). Also known as “The Station” the group was loosely affiliated with the State University of Iowa. It was here that early studies of child development began in 1917, under the direction of Dr. Bird McBride.

At this time, it was believed that your intelligence was determined exclusively by your parents and fixed for life. IQ testing, promoted by prominent figures like psychologist Lewis Termin, supported this idea. Termin also believed that anyone with low IQ should be institutionalized, a simple solution that appealed to a society overwhelmed by changes. Because of this, children whose parents could not pass an IQ test or were otherwise “unfit” were placed into orphanages. Mothers of the unfortunates suffered forced sterilization.

When Iowa Station researchers did long term studies of pre-school kids, they were in for a big surprise: IQ could change over time. Early nurturing was shown to be the key to raising a child’s IQ. In other words, nurture was apparently as important as nature. Once they published their findings, the battle was on. Wellman et al were attacked by Termin’s supporters and nearly driven out of the profession.

The fight took decades to resolve, but the Station’s research eventually prevailed, leading to the development of early learning and pre-school programs. Beth Wellman is largely forgotten today, along with the names of other pioneering Iowa researchers at ICWRS. But the ideas they fought to bring to light live on in every pre-school program and teacher working today. You can visit a sculpture at 56 E. Market Street in Iowa City that marks their work. Worth the trip!

03/23/2026

The Dodge House in Council Bluffs is a fabulous slice of Iowa history. If you have not visited, it is time to go.

In case you don’t remember, General Grenville Mellon Dodge was a Union Army General. He served under Ulysses Grant in the Civil War, and became a pioneer in the development of military intelligence. He fought in campaigns against Native Americans and then later, ran for Congress. While these were big accomplishments, Dodge became better known as the Union Pacific Railroad’s Chief Engineer. In that role, he championed the creation and construction of the Transcontinental Railroad.

In 1869, at the tender age of 38, Dodge built his handsome Victorian home at 605 Third Street. The house was designed by a Chicago architect, William Boyington. Boasting 14 rooms, it stands three stories high and overlooks a scenic view. There are parquet floors and ornate walnut and butternut woodwork. Additionally, the home sported central heating and hot and cold running water. His wife, Ruth Anne Browne Dodge, whom he married in 1854, was surely happy with the effort.

Although Dodge died in 1916, the house was occupied by a family member until 1943. At that time, there were efforts to find a group to take on the property. Sadly, it was sold in 1949, and the historic contents were auctioned off. This might have been the end of our story.

However, in 1963, the Historical Society of Pottawattamie County was able to buy the house. We learned all about this from our wonderful docent on the day we visited. She had an encyclopedic knowledge of every priceless Dodge family artifact, many of which had a long journey returning home after being sold to strangers. Curators, citizens and Dodge family relatives spent decades locating and returning the lost items to their rightful Iowa home.
The Dodge House in Council Bluffs and the folks who manage it are definitely worth the drive! Don’t miss it.

02/28/2026

Most Iowans have heard of the book “The Bridges of Madison County.” Written by Robert James Waller, it tells the story of a love affair between a traveling photographer and a lonely farm wife. It became a movie that starred Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood.

Other states have covered bridges, but Madison County boasts the largest concentration of these bridges west of the Mississippi River. They are visible reminders of a vanished agricultural lifestyle, once numbering over 10,000. The 900+ that still exist are only here because someone in their community worked to make that happen.

By 1970, Madison County had six bridges left. Local leaders launched a preservation effort and part of it was securing National Register status. For that to happen, history is as important as the blueprint. The Cutler–Donahoe bridge is a perfect example of how this works. Built in 1871 by Eli Cox, it is 82 feet long and originally crossed the North River. The design included the “Towne” truss construction method, named for the man who invented it, Ithiel Towne. This type of truss used planks and wooden “treenails” to create structures that were easy to build and very sturdy.

Carpenter Eli Cox was a classic Iowa pioneer. He was born in Ohio, where he married his spouse in 1846. The family journeyed to Madison County in 1856, where they lived and worked for the rest of their lives. He died in 1885, but his work has endured for decades, including the Presbyterian Church in Winterset.

Materials for Cutler-Donahue were all locally sourced. The lumber was milled in Cox’s mill and limestone came from a nearby quarry. It held up well over the decades, but extensive restoration was completed when it was moved to Winterset Park in 1970. The 40-ton structure was moved 18 miles to Winterset City Park and placed on steel abutments, just inside the park entrance. Now over 150 years old, it is an enduring symbol of American ingenuity, determination and community perseverance.

Visitors now come from all over the world and enjoy this and the many other attractions Madison County has to offer. If you have not been, it is worth the trip!

Madison County Chamber of Commerce

https://exploremadisoncounty.com/covered_bridges/

https://coveredbridges.net/state/iowa

01/17/2026

I was in 2nd grade when I discovered the public library in Clinton, Iowa. It gave me not only a love of books, but a serene place to learn about anything and everything. Years later, I realized that my retreat was a Carnegie Library.

Carnegie was an immigrant to this country. He was born in Scotland and came with his parents to Pennsylvania in 1848. Even though only 12 years old, he went to work almost immediately in a cotton mill. His career advanced rapidly and by the 1860s, he had investments in railroads, bridges, and oil. This led to the creation of the Carnegie Steel Company. Years later, he sold it to J.P. Morgan, becoming one of the richest men in America.

After working so hard to get his fortune, Carnegie began to re-think his life. In 1899, he put his thoughts in an article called "The Gospel of Wealth." It was a call to the ultra-wealthy to actively support self-improvement for everyday people. To prove his point, Carnegie began to give his wealth away. When he died in 1919, about $350 million of his fortune had been allocated to projects he approved of. In today’s money, this is the equivalent of about $6.9 billion dollars.

Andrew believed that a key to self-advancement was the ability to access books, no matter who you were. He said: “There is not such a cradle of democracy upon the earth as the Free Public Library, this republic of letters, where neither rank, office, nor wealth receives the slightest consideration.” Consequently, one of his programs was aimed at helping communities build public libraries.

Iowans knew a good thing when they saw it and between 1892 and 1917, 104 communities applied for Carnegie library grants. Of the 101 libraries built, Fairfield was the first one to open. (Today it houses a fabulous museum.) In fact, over a century later, 93 of these buildings still exist and are in use.

In the spring of 2002, a project was launched to document the history and changes in Iowa’s Carnegie libraries. Know as CLIP (Carnegie Libraries in Iowa) it is preserving this history, including how they have survived in changing communities.

The Hidden Iowa assignment this week is to find a Carnegie Library near you and go there. Worth the trip!

https://carnegielibrariesiowa.org/

Clinton Public Library (Iowa)

Carnegie Museum

Visit Fairfield

12/20/2025

Tired of shopping? Consider a trip to Iowa’s Old Capital, located in Iowa City. A visit there will give you a look inside our illustrious legislative past and it won’t cost you a thing! A sometimes-overlooked highlight is the reverse spiral staircase that leads to the upper floors. Like a lot of things in Iowa, this masterful piece of architecture has quite a story.

In 1839, the Iowa Territorial commission was charged with the planning of a Capital building. They hired the firm of John Francis Rague, who had successfully created the Illinois State House. The $46,000 contract was let to Rague and Company on November 12, 1839. Construction began immediately. July 4, 1840, was the date set to lay the cornerstone, accompanied by great hoopla.

Nine days after that event, Rague was so disgusted by the lack of funding and proposed shoddy materials, that he walked off the project. He took the plans for the building with him. Chauncey Swan, the building superintendent, came forward to champion the difficult task of construction. Progress was breathtakingly slow, not only due to the missing plans, but also because of a lack of funding. Many legislative battles ensued and it was 1849 when the second floor was finally finished. Despite the stops and starts, the reverse spiral staircase design was retained. It ascends left, turns right and ends with the top step directly above the bottom.

By the 1920’s the elaborate design was swaying with too much traffic and generally considered unsafe. As part of the effort to create a more user-friendly administration building, the staircase was completely replaced. Steel cables and metal poles were added for reinforcement. In the 1970’s the building was returned to its original 1840 floor plan, which of course, included the magnificent reverse spiral staircase that you see today.

The many twists and turns (pun!) in the story of the Old Capital are something to think about as you peer up into this architectural work of art. Worth a visit!

University of Iowa

11/28/2025

When religious-minded pioneers began to settle in Iowa in the 1840s and 50s, there were no brick-and-mortar churches waiting to welcome them. Not to be deterred, early settlers quickly improvised ways to worship. Services were held in sod homes, log shanties and cabins, attended by priests and missionaries who traveled a circuit.

This was the situation when a teacher from Oldenburg, Germany, landed in Waterford township in Clinton County in the 1850s. His name was John Bernard "Henry" Nurre, and he very much wanted to own and farm his own land. Being a devoted Catholic, he wasted no time opening his home to services. Mary, his wife, shared his desire to create a Catholic community. So, when she got sick, it was her dying wish for Henry to donate 40 acres of land to the Diocese for a church. The bequest was the beginning of St. Joseph Church Parish in Sugar Creek, Iowa.

Faithful believers looked at the grassy prairie and imagined what it could become. They could see their children worshipping here and someday, God willing, their children’s children. Through years of hard work and dedication, that vision was made into reality. The pioneers built a rectory (1892), church (1896) and a school (1902). A cemetery was also established.

Those buildings saw the community through two world wars, a depression and numerous organizational changes in the Catholic church. It wasn’t always easy, but the members never gave up. Today, the church still holds worship services on Sunday. Teaching continues: the old school is now part of a Retreat Center where a new generation of Catholics pray, study and learn.

Time has marched on, but the commitment that began with a group of immigrants has never wavered. Sugar Creek is a living example of what hard work, faith and a vision for a better future can achieve. Worth the drive for sure!

Jackson County Iowa Historical Society
County Past and Present
https://www.facebook.com/groups/951095091654329/

11/14/2025

If you have spent any time on Highway 30 near the entrance of Palisades-Kepler State Park, you probably have seen the “American Gothic” barn. Situated on private property, the artwork is clearly visible from Highway 30 between Cedar Rapids and Mount Vernon.

It seems like the iconic painting has been there forever, but it only appeared in 2008, when artist Mark Benesh was commissioned to paint it. Mark is a local artist who has been involved in the development and promotion of many works of public art.

The barn takes its name from Benesh’s rendering of Grant Wood’s American Gothic couple: the woman staring stoically into the distance and the man holding a pitchfork. The other two sides, featuring a bison and a prairie scene, are a little harder to see, but worth the effort.

We should mention that the original painting is one of the most reproduced and reimagined pictures in the world. An exact number does not exist, but it is safe to say that if you live in America, you have seen it somewhere. From parody efforts to Chia pets, to full size cardboard figures, the sour looking couple are everywhere.

You have to wonder what Grant Wood would think about all of this. He was born near Anamosa in 1891 but moved with his family to Cedar Rapids in 1901. He studied at the Minneapolis School of Design and later at the Chicago Institute of Art. He served in the First World War, then returned to Cedar Rapids, where he taught art at a local high school.

Then it was off to Paris and Germany to study with other painters. His distinctive style of taking real scenes and transforming them into highly stylized forms emerged after this. American Gothic was painted in 1930. Wood died a mere 12 years later, at the age of 51. He is buried in Riverside Cemetery in Anamosa.

In the tradition of Grant Wood, Mark Benesh created a little jewel for us all to enjoy in our travels across Iowa. Get out there and take a look!

Mount Vernon Historic Preservation Commission
Anamosa Chamber of Commerce
Grant Wood Art Gallery

10/22/2025

In the early days of Jones County, it was alleged that a band of thieves inhabited a secluded cave near the Wapsipinicon River. They kept stolen horses here until they were moved and sold. Legends about them grew over the years, eventually including tales of Jesse James, endless caverns and bootleg liquor. Even though there is scant documentation that supports this, the large cave came to be known as “Horse Thief Cave.”

There is another story about this place. Please meet a man named Augustine D. Corcoran, or “Gus” for short. Gus was born in Jones County in 1858. Gus grew up on the farm and received an eighth-grade education. Once married, he moved his family to Missouri. But Gus’s heart never left Jones County. When “retirement” loomed, he came home and began his second career: archeology.

In 1922, while workers removed dirt to create an entrance ramp for visitors to Horse Thief Cave, they began finding bones. Some appeared to be human. Gus was summoned by local officials, to conduct a cursory examination of the site. Utilizing professional techniques, Gus uncovered nine human beings who had been buried there. The burials were four feet beneath the floor of the cave. Each person was upright, and they ranged in age from an elderly man to a 30-inch infant. Needless to say, it was a bit of a sensation. The founder of Iowa archeology, Charles R. Keyes, was even notified and came for a visit. All of this is documented in letters and newspapers of the time.

The remains were removed to the basement of City Hall for public display. Souvenir hunters trailed through…and did what souvenir hunters do. Eventually, the State Historical Society ordered the collection moved to the Anamosa Public Library, where glass cases kept prying hands off. There they stayed until 1932, when the entire lot was moved to the Geology Department of the University. The transfer took place under watchful eye of Mr. Corcoran.

If you visit this historic cave in Wapsipinicon State Park, you can surely enjoy the legend of the criminal shenanigans that went on there. But if you want a real story, consider Gus, the Jones County native who salvaged a sacred burial site from total destruction. It’s totally worth the trip!

Jackson County Iowa Historical Society
Jones County, Iowa Tourism Association
Jones County Historical Society

09/25/2025

A “small-town guy who made it big” is the easiest way to describe this son of Humboldt, Iowa. Also known as "Champion of the Klondike" and the “world’s most eligible bachelor”, his name was Frank Alvin Gotch.

Frank was born on a farm three miles south of Humboldt in 1878, the son of Frederick and Amelia Gotch. He wrestled other locals as a teenager, but his first important match took place in June 1899, when he was 21 years old, in Luverne, Iowa. Frank figured it would be an easy match, since the man said he was a furniture dealer. Gotch lost, but only after two hours of hard wrestling. When the man handed him his business card, Frank realized that he had just wrestled the reigning American Heavyweight Champion, Dan McLeod.

Six months later, Gotch took on "Farmer" Martin Burns, who beat him in only 11 minutes. Even though he lost, Burns offered to be the young man’s trainer. Under his guidance, Gotch won a series of matches in Iowa and then wrestled in the Yukon under the name “Champion of the Klondike.” He eventually won the title of World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion from George Hackenschmidt on April 3, 1908, an honor he held for five years, until his retirement on April 1, 1913. This made him the sixth longest reigning World Heavyweight Wrestling champion in history, behind Bruno Sammartino, Jim Londos, Lou Thesz, Verne Gagne and Bob Backlund.

In 1911, he gave up his status as one of America's most eligible bachelors to marry Gladys Oestrich. Even though his health had started to decline before he retired, he never gave up wrestling. He joined the Sells-Floto Circus, offering to pay $250 dollars to anyone who could last 15 minutes against him. Unsurprisingly, he never had to pay anyone!

Frank died in 1917 in Humboldt, where he is buried in Union Cemetery next to Gladys and his only child, a son. If you want to revisit the stomping grounds of a small-town Iowa guy who made it big, take a drive to Bicknell Park in Humboldt. A legacy worth revisiting!

Humboldt County Historical Association

09/12/2025

The all-state tour highlights barns that have received restoration grants from the Iowa Barn Foundation and those that have received an Award of Distinction or Preservation Award for restoration fully funded by the owner. The self-guided tour is free and open to the public and makes for a great mult...

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