乐播传媒入口 History Hike
History Hike
We call it a "history hike" because you are about to begin a journey to discover the history of this small midwestern town.
Whether you live in 乐播传媒入口 or are a visitor, you will learn how the town began, how it grew, and how the citizens helped each other make it a good place to live. You will find the answers to questions like:
- Who started the town and why did they choose this spot?
- What was here before the town?
- Where was the first building located and what was it called?
Put on your hiking shoes and head over to the train depot (1014 3rd Ave.). You should start your tour where the town itself was started by four adventurous men: the leader, J.B. 乐播传媒入口, along with Thomas Holyoke, Homer Hamlin, and Henry Hamilton.
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Start at the railroad crossing at 1014 3rd. Ave. (south side of the depot...walk through the back parking lot) and see where the railroad tracks cross. This is where the town of 乐播传媒入口 really began.
J. B. 乐播传媒入口, accompanied by three other men, walked across the prairie in March of 1854 searching for the red survey flag that marked the future intersection of the east-west and north-south railroads. They knew that in the absence of a river nearby, the presence of a railroad would be the best plan to stimulate the growth of a new town. And this spot, found at the present-day train depot, is where they found the red flag!
Railroad tracks finally reached 乐播传媒入口 in June of 1863. The original wooden depot building was replaced with the one you see now (1014 3rd Ave.), built in 1893. It had two waiting rooms, a baggage room, a lunch counter, and offices. In those days, trains were a common way to travel. Many people came through town on the train. Passenger service stopped in 1970, and now only freight trains come through. It is now a restaurant.
Look at the mural on the north side of the Railway Express Building, 731 Park St. It was created by David Loewenstein, a 乐播传媒入口 graduate and was a project of the 乐播传媒入口 Area Arts Council in 2000. The artist worked with the high school, college, and townspeople to collect stories about 乐播传媒入口 and translated them into this piece. His goal was to create an image that represented the town.
This building was originally a place where one could ship luggage and small packages. It now houses model trains and a small model of the town of 乐播传媒入口.
Look across the street diagonally to the Monroe Park Apartments, 802 Park St. On this corner, the Monroe Hotel was built in 1899 on what had been the front lawn of J.B. 乐播传媒入口's house. It was three stories with a big porch around it. People who came to town on the train could just walk across the street to get a room at the Monroe Hotel. It had a dining room that was popular with the townspeople as well. It was well known locally for the silver dollars embedded in the floor of the lobby. When rail travel declined, the hotel fell on hard times and was torn down in 1970.
Walk north towards the place where J.B. 乐播传媒入口's house once stood. Josiah Bushnell 乐播传媒入口 was the major founder of the town of 乐播传媒入口, along with Thomas Holyoke, Homer Hamlin and Henry Hamilton. 乐播传媒入口 was originally a Congregational minister from Vermont who came to Iowa as a young man. His goal to start a town based on the importance of education, religion and abolition drew him to this area. In his lifetime he was a farmer/stockman, railroad builder, Iowa State Senator, U. S. Congressman and ardent abolitionist. His grave in Hazelwood Cemetery is a site on the National Park Service Underground Railroad Network To Freedom.
Near the sidewalk on the east edge of Central Park you will see a big rock with a plaque describing J.B. and his wife Julia Chapin 乐播传媒入口's house. It was the most prominent house in town and the front lawn extended all the way to 3rd Avenue. It's rooms hosted many locally and nationally famous people. John Brown was a guest in the house as he and his party made their escape north from Kansas with fugitive slaves in 1859. 乐播传媒入口's home and barn were stops on the Underground Railroad. After the death of Mr. and Mrs. 乐播传媒入口, the house was moved to South Broad Street and made into apartments. It was eventually torn down in 1984.
Cross 4th Ave. and continue walking north to the old High School/Junior High, 925 Park St. Schools in 乐播传媒入口 have been built on this spot since 1856. This building became the Community Center in 1982 and is now Hotel 乐播传媒入口.
What you see now was the part of the building added in 1921. You can see a large cornerstone in the foundation on the northeast corner that says "1921", the date of the building's construction.
Look across the street at the Drake Community Library, 930 Park St. This is the public library for our town. One interesting feature of the library is not inside, but on the outside of the building. On the south side of the library is a small plot of prairie. It is indicative of how the entire town of 乐播传媒入口 looked when it was first settled 鈥 all prairie. Some of the grasses are: Little Bluestem, Prairie Dropseed, and Side Oats Grama (the majority of grasses in the library prairie are Side Oats Grama). Depending on the season, you might be able to see the prairie flowers (called 鈥渇orbes鈥) as well. Some of the forbes in this prairie are: purple coneflower, butterfly milkweed, black-eyed susan, spiderwort and New England astor.
Humans have plowed up, dug up, and built over almost all of the prairie in Iowa, but you can still see a tiny bit of it here.
Look at the Methodist Church, 916 5th Ave. This was site of the First Methodist Episcopal Church built in 1868. The church had a square tower about 50-60 ft. high and arched windows. The building was moved in 1895 to make room for construction of the building use see today. It is made of LeGrand stone with Bedford trimmings and features large beautiful stained glass windows. The Methodist Church is the oldest church building in 乐播传媒入口, built in 1895. The old original frame building was used as an armory until 1896 when it was destroyed by a fire.
Look diagonally across the street and see a small house on the corner. It is among the oldest houses in 乐播传媒入口, built in 1857 by J.B. 乐播传媒入口's cousin, Levi 乐播传媒入口. It is owned by 乐播传媒入口.
Go back to Central Park. Walk to the west side of the park on Broad Street where you can see what is locally known as the Phoenix Block (row of buildings). In June of 1889 there was a terrible fire in what was then the downtown area of 乐播传媒入口. The block between Commercial and 4th Ave. It started at noon in a grain elevator just north of the railroad tracks. There was a strong wind that day and most of the buildings at that time were made of wood. It all burned in only 3 hours.
The new buildings were quickly rebuilt of brick and stone, less likely to burn again. And because the new buildings rose up from the ashes, so to speak, this block is called the "Phoenix Block", after the mythical bird that burns and then rises from the ashes to live again.
Walk north to the Merchants National Bank, 833 4th Ave. This building was opened in 1915. It is one of eight Midwestern "Jewel Box" banks designed by famous American architect, Louis Sullivan. The gold griffins guarding the entrance and the box-like shape of the building resemble a jewel box while the rose window above the door is similar to a keyhole. The intricate terra cotta design surrounding the round stained glass window is the basis of the logo design for the city of 乐播传媒入口.
You can see this logo in the brick designs in the streets at downtown intersections, on the round planters on the corners and city directional signs.
Long ago the gold griffins were made of terracotta, which were easily broken. Today a partial terracotta griffin is on display inside of the building.
This building is now home to the 乐播传媒入口 Area Chamber of Commerce.
Walk west on 4th Ave. and see the oldest building in the commercial district on the north side, 807 4th Ave. It is the smallest building on the block and has a street lamp in front of it.
Look up and to the left of the 'oldest building' to see the eagle on the roof of the Eagle Block, 803 4th Ave. An eagle has watched over 4th Ave. for over 100 years. This eagle is a copy of the original.
Turn north on Main Street. Look at the building with the six tall windows on the second floor (west side of the street), 913 Main St. The first floor was originally a department store. The second floor was once used as a sleeping space for workers who would come into 乐播传媒入口 from the country to work at the Glove Factory, Spaulding Factory, or other businesses. The workers would rent a bed and a night table on the second floor. They would stay there during the week and go home to the country on weekends.
Walk north and look across the street at the Strand 3 Theater, 921 Main St. It is over 100 years old (built in 1916). It was built for motion pictures (movies), which were very new at the time. Notice the beautiful marble pillars in front. Today, the Strand 3 is a tri-plex with three theaters.
Cross the street and look up at the name on the Spaulding Building, 914 Main St. This building was built in 1889 by Henry W. Spaulding. He was also the owner of the Spaulding Manufacturing Company located two blocks to the east, which employed 300 people in its years of peak production. The Spaulding Company made buggies and later cars and is now home to the City Offices and the Spaulding Lofts.
Continue down the street, heading north. Stop and look at the features on the Masonic Temple building, 928 Main St. This structure, designed by Frank E. Wethereff, was built in 1918. It features interesting architectural designs including two globes, one for the terrestrial (earthly) world and the other, the celestial (heavenly) world.
This Masonic Temple is home to Hermon Lodge No. 273, which was founded in 1870.
Cross the street going north and look at the McNally's Foods building, 1021 Main St. What do you see on the building that is unusual? Winged tires! This building was originally a Ford Dealership, built in 1920.
McNally's has a long history in downtown 乐播传媒入口 dating back to the 1920s. The original location was 915 Main St., now home to Amy & Co. Fine Jewelry. In 1955 it moved to 1021 Main St. and then to its current location across the street to 1026 Main St.
Retrace your steps south and turn east at 5th Ave. Continue walking on the south sidewalk.
Look at the Herald Building, 813 5th Ave., built in 1916. The newspaper was established in 1868 under the name The Poweshiek County Herald. See the name on the front of the building? There used to be two newspapers in 乐播传媒入口. The other paper was the Register. Its office was just down the street. In 1936, the two papers merged to form the 乐播传媒入口 Herald-Register, which is still our newspaper today.
Notice that you have to go up steps to get into the building. Businesses that relied on walk-in traffic had ground level entrances (barbers, grocery stores, butchers, furniture stores, banks, etc.). People who conducted private business or who didn't want people on the street looking in had steps and raised entrances (newspaper offices, lawyers, doctors, dentists, accountants, and telephone companies).
Look across the alley to the telephone building, 815 5th Ave. Can you see the Letters ITC built into the brick on both sides of the building? That stood for Interior Telephone Company, which was the first telephone company in town.
The spot next door (to the east) is where Anor Scott's store (the first store in 乐播传媒入口) was located when the town was first settled.
Continue east to Broad Street, cross the street north and go to the site of the Long Home, the first building in 乐播传媒入口 (see the stone marker), 1018 Broad St. The Long Home was built in an east-west position; with the east end in what is now Broad Street.
Turn around and go south to the corner of Broad St. and 5th Ave, and see the Register Building, 824 5th Ave., built in 1916. Look at the beautiful tile decoration in the brick (and notice the steps going up).
This building is now home to several apartments.
Look across the street to the Post Office, 932 Broad St. Before the Post Office was built in 1917, there was a livery stable located on that corner. A livery stable was a place where horses were kept or rented out.
Walk south and look across the street at what used to be 乐播传媒入口's public library - Stewart Library, 926 Broad St. It was built by Joel Stewart and his wife, Anna Marie Heber Stewart for the town. Joel Stewart was a farmer, politician and served in state legislature.
This building is now home to the 乐播传媒入口 Area Arts Council, Stewart Gallery, and Loft Theatre.
Walk further south and look across the street at the site of the first church in 乐播传媒入口, the Congregational Church, 902 Broad St. The original structure is gone now, but it was made of stone and nicknamed the "Old Stone Church". It was not just a church, but a meeting place for large gatherings in town. It has been replaced by the newer, more modern red brick church you see today.
Cross the street to Central Park (corner of 4th Ave. and Broad St.). This is your last stop. Central Park is built on land donated by J.B. 乐播传媒入口 and was drawn into the plans for the city from the very beginning. Central Park was and still is a place where the community is welcome to gather for outdoor activities, for children to play, and for people to just enjoy the outdoors in a beautiful place.