The owners of the Fox Theater retired this June, marking at least a temporary end of operation at this historic movie house in downtown Fort Madison. The two screen theatre’s final movies were The Backup Plan and Shrek IV, shown the weekend of June 4, 2010. Originally opened as the Strand Theater in 1929, the cinema was renamed following a major renovation project in 1951.
Published September 30, 2010 |
Movie Theatres |
Lee County
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The Free Public Library in Humboldt was opened and dedicated on Tuesday, February 9, 1909. According to the Humboldt Independent, the library dedication was “well attended by the ladies and young people of the town.” The dedication included a number of speeches from local and state officials, followed by an official flag raising to commence the afternoon event. Activities were scheduled to run through the evening but were briefly interrupted due to a late afternoon snow storm.
The original library building is still in use, though it was expanded and renovated in 1992. The library features an Iowa limestone exterior and oak columns and woodwork inside; construction costs were covered by a $10,000 Carnegie grant.
Published September 29, 2010 |
Carnegie Libraries, Public Libraries |
Humboldt County
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A 1950 TIME Magazine article highlighted the sharp population decline in the Union county community of Shannon City. The most recent census numbers revealed a loss of 119 inhabitants from its peak population mark of 288. The owner of the local general store lamented that “none of the kids ever comes back here to live after they’ve gone away to school.” The town newspaper died when the editor died in the 1940s. The foundation from an the old theatre was overgrown with weeds.
Shannon City has continued to decline in population, with a mere 70 residents counted for the 2000 census. The only active building on main street is the part-time post office; a part-time bank up the street closed up years ago, while the only other storefront was without a roof or window and fully overrun by vegetation.
Published September 28, 2010 |
Post Offices |
Union County
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Constructed in 1874, the Swensrud School originally stood on a family farm four miles northeast of Northwood in Worth County, Iowa. In 1972, it was moved from farm to city and is now part of a central park in downtown Northwood.
Inside, visitors will find old desks, a pot-bellied stove, a collection of old school books, and a list of teachers who taught at the school. The school is closed for the season, with normal hours Sundays 2 to 4 p.m. between Memorial Day and Labor Day. The one-room schoolhouse is adjacent to the main Worth County Historical Museum.
Published September 27, 2010 |
Schools |
Worth County
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Residents in the Buchanan county community of Stanley were up in arms in May 1995, when they learned their local post office would likely close its doors after over 100 years of operation. The post office, which was losing $23,000 each year, looked to be added to a long list of businesses and organizations that closed shop in Stanley. Its railroad business shut down in the 1940s; closures of local banks, hotels and grocery stores followed.
By 1955, the high school was consolidated, and in 1979, members of the local Methodist Church were forced to travel to nearby Oelwein for services. The post office ultimately stayed open three more years, closing for good in July 1998. Stanley’s 128 residents now retrieve their mail from the metal “cluster boxes” erected next door.
Published September 24, 2010 |
Post Offices |
Buchanan County
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