2009 Fall Newsletter color - Ankeny Area Historical Society

Fall 2009 Newsletter
301 SW Third, PO Box 1111
Ankeny, IA 50021
Phone: 515-965-5795
www.ankenyhistorical.org email: history@ankenyhistorical.org
Volume 15, Number 2
Open Letter To Whom It May
Concern . . . And That’s Everybody
From The Desk of the President of the Ankeny Area Historical Society— Ron Sampson
Dear Members, Friends and Supporters,
In 2003, as we planned the barn addition to our museum campus and the investment needed came into focus
at about $685,000 . . . we vowed not to take on another major project until we had retired the mortgage. We
set our sites on a 10-year plan hoping for less time but praying for no more than that.
While we are now a little more than 90% paid-off, we find ourselves ready to take on a substantial and very
important endeavor. It is actually the core of the history of Ankeny. Telling that story is vital and getting it
done now is imperative.
It is the story of the Ordnance Plant, the people who worked there, the impact their work had on the efforts
of World War II and how the influx of 19,000 people traveling every day for three years to Ankeny -- a town
of 750 people-- influenced the future of central Iowa. And, as that chapter of local and world history closed,
the benefits continued for Ankeny as John Deere became a world-wide force in agricultural manufacturing and
local employment and economic growth.
Now, in order for the Ankeny Area Historical Society to preserve and promote that story it is necessary to
better record, display and demonstrate those faces, facts and photos not only on the walls of our museum . . .
but also in a portable version.
The inspiration for the 153 square feet of display space was given by the traveling kiosk that was on display
in our museum this summer telling the story of the great Spencer Fireworks disaster of 1931, which predicated
the state of Iowa law banning fireworks. It was on a multi-fold-out unit that had embossed copes of news clippings, stories, photos and other memorabilia that was stunning in it’s ease of studying and display.
And that is what we need.
What is on our walls, floors and doors depicting the World War II era at the plant is wonderful and will stay
in place. But, a portable version good for speakers to take to schools, churches, groups and other gatherings
will better serve to educate young and old and should inspire everyone to come to the museum for a second
look and see the rest of what has made Ankeny the great place that it is today.
Bottom line: we need help (photos, interviews, memories, memorabilia, articles, anything else that would
help us tell the story). . . we need money ($35,000+ to tell the whole story) . . . we need support. To do the
project right . . . to make the professional impression, to record the stories of our wonderful members that
worked at the Ordnance Plant (making 8 million cartridges each day to send to our soldiers), as teens and
young ladies and get their recollections 65 years later we must do it right and we must do it now.
Please, do what you can . . . and do it now. Call 965-5795!
For information and inspiration—
see pages 2 & 3
Ankeny’s WWII Ordnance Plant . . .
The Des Moines Ordnance Plant and rifle
range testing area were built on 4442 acres of land
just south of Ankeny. The land had been acquired
from previous owners therefore becoming government property.
The plant was built and equipped at a total cost
of $54,745,461 between July 31, 1941 and June
15, 1942. The first bullet was produced in January
of 1942.
The plant was operated by the United States
Rubber Company under a government contract
from January 31, 1942 to September 1, 1945. It
produced 30 and 50 caliber shells. 1943 was the
peak production year with 19,060 employees (60%
women) producing 8,000,000 cartridges a day.
By 1945 employment had dropped to 10,800
(49% women), and then in July 1945, all manufacturing of ammunition ceased.
Page 2
. . . Is Now John Deere Manufacturing
In September 1947, the Deere & Company
Board of Directors met and agreed to purchase the
Des Moines Ordnance Plant from the War Assets
Administration.
Deere and Company paid
$4,154,565 for five large buildings, a power plant,
a sewage disposal plant, various smaller structures,
and 590 acres of land. The facility would be called
The John Deere Des Moines Works.
In April 1948, the first item of agricultural
equipment produced at the plant came down the
assembly line. The implement was a 226 Corn
Picker, which had been previously manufactured at
the John Deere Harvesters Works.
In was announced in 1950 that plans were under way to transfer design control and production
of the cotton picker, from the Deere and Company
Product Development Department in Moline, to
the factory in Des Moines.
In September 1959, Premier of Soviet Russia,
Nikita Khrushchev visited Ankeny and the John
Deere Des Moines Works.
Photos and info from the John Deere Des Moines Work’s 50th Anniversary magazine.
Page 3
Thank You Bravo!
Program On Depression Glass
On July 6 of this year we received notification
that we will be receiving a Bravo Cultural Enrichment Grant in the amount of $3,500. The grant
will be used to purchase video recording and editing equipment.
Bravo Greater Des Moines is a nonprofit organization that assists the cultural community in providing greater Des Moines with an enriched quality of life. The city of Ankeny gives a portion of
their Hotel-Motel tax to Bravo.
Jeff Settell of Ankeny and a member of the Iowa
Depression Glass Club will be presenting a program on Depression Glass, Thursday, September
10, at the Historical House. The presentation will
be held in the basement of the house at 7:00 p.m.
and members and non-members of the society are
welcome. He will also have two display cases in
the barn with Depression Glass. You will be able
to see the displays from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on
the September the 10th. You can also see them
during our open houses in October and November.
Depression Era is colored glassware which was
mass produced from the late 1920s through the
1940’s. This glassware of rainbow hues (pink,
red, yellow, green , blue, lavender and deeper hues
of cobalt, amber and amethyst) was enhanced with
designs of flowers, birds, fruits, snowflakes, panels, swirls, bubbles, diamonds, cubes, rings,
blocks, ribs and thumbprints.
Help Us Tell The Story Of— The
Ordnance Plant, Ankeny’s Roller
Rinks And Ankeny Area’s History
With our new video recording system, we are
looking for people to help us tell Ankeny area’s
history. What was Ankeny like during WWII?
What was your part in the war effort? Do you remember roller skating at the rink located on Ankeny Blvd., south of the railroad tracks? Or did
you roller skate at the rink on the Fred Sexauer
farm in the area of W. 1st St. and NW Kline St.?
Did you watch the movies at the Gem Movie
Theater on SW Walnut St.? If you would like to
share your story of what was it like for you growing up in Ankeny and the surrounding communities please call us at 965-5795.
Halloween In Uptown
Lights On!
For Iowa Museums
Historical society will again be participating in Halloween in Uptown and Lights
On! For Iowa Museums on Thursday, October
22. The museums will be open for touring from 5
p.m. to 8 p.m.
Watch the Ankeny Press Citizen in October for
more details.
Christmas Cookie Sale
We will be holding our second
annual Christmas Cookie Sale on
Saturday, December 5. Choose 2
dozen of your favorite cookies
for only $10. There will be only 50 tickets sold for
this event.
Christmas In Uptown
Newspaper photo of Ankeny roller rink in 1939.
Many new skaters started here, Cleadythe Wagner,
Jeanne Gibson and Arlene Shaffer. Arlene met her
future husband James Phelps at this rink. What
memories can you share with us?
The society will also be participating in Christmas in Uptown’s
Santa’s Treasure Hunt. This will
be held on Saturday, December 5
PARKVIEW SEVENTH GRADERS EXPLORE
AND LEARN AT ANNUAL VISIT
You know it’s May and the school year is
winding down, when 600+ Parkview seventh
graders tour the Ankeny Area Historical Society
Museums.
With that many students it takes three visits a
day for four days, with a minimum of eight volunteers per sessions.
The students learn what is was like to work at
the Ordnance Plant, especially for women.
Touring the barn the learn about farming, Ankeny’s growth, what it was like to go to a country school and much, much more.
ANKENY AREA HISTORICAL SOCIETY
“NEW BARN” PROJECT MENU OF SUPPORT
LEGACY: $250,000 - $500,000
Dennis & Sue Albaugh & Family
DIAMOND: $100,000--$249,999
City of Ankeny
RUBY: $50,000--$99,000
Don & Charlene Lamberti & Family
Rod & Dee Lein
SAPPHIRE: $10,000--$49,999
John Deere Des Moines Works
Des Moines Register & Ankeny Press Citizen
Ankeny Building Association
Prairie Meadows Race Track & Casino
Ray Miller
PEARL: $5,000--$9,999
VGI Design
Snyder & Associates, Inc.
Polk County
Community State Bank
First American Bank
Northwest Bank
Richard Logli & Dena Randolph
In Memory of the P.A. Logli Family
Ward Mally
Wells Fargo
Winnifred Spahr In Memory of Wayne R. Spahr
PLATINUM: $1,000--$4,999
Ankeny Hy-Vee
Norma Righi & Delores Manny
In Memory Frank & Mary Ghitalli, Paul & Isola
Fontana, Leno & Rose Carzoli
Dorothy Wyant
Gene & Bev Samuelson
Family and Friends In Memory of Richard Logli
Family and Friends In Memory of Orville Ballard
L & L Insulation & Supply Company (In-Kind)
Bell Brothers Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc.
Family & Friends In Memory of Verna Howard
Family & Friends In Memory of Jack Dennler
John Deere Community Credit Union
Don & Barbara Penquite
Barbara White, Family & Friends
In Memory Dale A. White
Family and Friends In Memory of Larry Donaghy
Valley Bank
Family & Friends In Memory of Evelyn Dann
Zane Smith In Memory V.W. and Ann Smith
Rich and Patrick Taylor (In-Kind)
In Memory of Cor Hutton
Family & Friends In Memory of Nello Lamberti
Family & Friends In Memory of Jean Jones
Family & Friends In Memory of Blasco Fontanini
Terry & JoAnn Adamson
Albaugh-McGovern Legion Post #42
Gerald & Marie Ballard
Orville & Bonnie Ballard
Bruce & Jeanette Beckwith
Casey's General Stores
Page 4
Lynn & Nancy DeLapp In Memory Delma DeLapp
Marilyn Dennler
Larry & Dorothy Donaghy
Jeanne Ersland, Eleanor Tilton & Gale Gibson
In Memory of the Max & Ella Gibson
Nevin & Bonnie Harmon
Handley, Block, Lamberti, Zinno & Gocke, P.C.
Huber Grading, Inc.
Harris & Deloris Manny
Ralph Mathis
Abel McCleary Family
MidAmerican Energy Foundation
Carl Moyer
Donald & Norma Righi
Everett Sather
Roger & Sandra Spahr
Evelyn Sexauer
Myrtle Sexauer
Ollie J. Weigel
Don & Carolyn Zuck
Dream Steam (In-Kind)
GOLD: $500--$999
Richard Logli In Memory of Rico Logli
Bill & Barb Agan
Phillip M. Thompson (In-Kind)
Fred & Fran Smith
Family and Friends In Memory of Jennie Tschterer
In Memory of Manilla Coppock
In Memory of Ralph Mathis
Ankeny High Class of 1956
Bob Brown Chevrolet, Inc.
W.H. & Marjorie Chase
Commercial Federal Bank
Craig R. Hawkins In Memorial of Nina & Harold Weston
Joyce Lundstrom
Amanda Kuhns-American Bank of Iowa
Scholes Family
Eric Sheldahl
Struthers Bros. - Lee Lundstrom
Silver: $100-499
Family & Friends Memory of George Hart
Family & Friends In Memory of LeRoy Bachman
Vince Sanders
Alpha Rho of Beta Sigma Phi
Glen Cornwell Family In Memory Clifford Cornwell
Evelyn Dann In Memory Ralph C. Dann
Gerald & Marilyn Dennler
Evelyn Rigby
Family & Friends In Memory of Thelma M. Heberer
Cecil & Carole Ballard
Denman & Company LLP In Memory of Larry Donaghy
Marilyn Shay In Memory Bill Shay
Ankeny High School Class of 1967
Friends of Rod Lein
Herbert J. Brown In Memory Mary N. Brown
Beryl Coulson - Coulson Signs
Don & Carole Lea Kraber
Maurices Inc. - Match to Carol Lea Kraber
Loren Sampson Family
Doug & Ellen Smith
Family & Friends In Memory of Jennie Tscherter
David & Anne Gardner In Memory of John Price, Edith &
Bee Morris, J. Arthur, Evelyn, Judy Ault, & Hazel Ault
The Mutcher Family
Ben & Jean Norman
Clarence & Betty Altenburger
Ethel Harmon, Jill, Robert, & Jan In Memory of Mary French
Lee Ahlberg
James W. Anderlik
Duane Anderson
Ober & Iolene Anderson
Ankeny Genealogy Chapter
Ankeny Lions Club
Ankeny Visual Image Committee
LeRoy & Evelyn Bachman
Victoria Bachman
Gary & Toni Baugher
Geri Begg In Memory of Wayne Begg
Joe, Charles, & Maribeth Begg In Memory of Wayne Begg
James Blair
Ruth Bond
Dennis & Pat Brazelton
Barb & Patrick Breen
Rob & Jennifer Davies
Gail Dippold
Mary Doubleday In Memory of Art Doubleday
Robert & Nancy Frisk
Joshua J. Frisk
Justin R. Frisk & Family
Anna Hick
Evalynne Higgins
Harold & Charlene Hildreth
Raymond Hildreth
Jerry Homes, Inc.
Victor Johnson
Kimberly Development Corp.
Robert & Virginia Koch
Cyndy Lammert
Jose & Shelley Laracuente
Marlyn & Zelda Larson In Memory of Angela Larson Pilkington
Betty Leonard
Earl & Janet Leonard
Grant & Sherri Lewis
Sally Miller Link & Family In Memory of Bill & Mary Betts Miller
Luke Brothers, Inc.
John E. Lundstrom
Madrid Historical Society
Bill & Sarah Magnani
Jim & Barb McNamee
Memory Lane Questers
John & Mary Moffitt
Jim & Helen Nelson
Janet & Marvin Nichols
Don & Doris Ott
Timothy & Teresa Powers In Memory of Larry Donaghy
Tom & Joan Quinlin
P & R Inc. - Brandt & Janet Crocker
Dick & Suzan Rasmussen
Greg Rasmussen
Louise Vander Linden
Bill & Eva Wallace
Larry & Linda Wellendorf
Jack & Ruby Wheatly In Memory of Jean Jones
Louise Woods
Ankeny Sanitation (In-Kind)
BRONZE: $50-$99
Craig Hawkins In Memory of Erma M. Hawkins
MidAmerican Matching Jan & Merlin Christians
In Memory of Mary Gilbrech French
Evelyn Bachman
Community Bank Plymouth In Memory of George Hart
72 Degree Heating & Cooling, Inc.
Ankeny—Class of 1967 In Memory of Ed Medici
Bless This House, Inc.
Nancy Carr
Merlin & Jan Christians
LeNora Coe
Gilded Angel Photography
Dale & JoAnn Goins
James Haritage
Ethel Harmon
Craig Hawkins
Heartland floors
Colleen Hopkins In Memory of Keith Hopkins
Laks Jagnandan D.D.S.
Franny & JoAn Johnson
Ken & Donna Kelling
Chris Lamberti
Margaret McBride
Bill Michael Family
Lynn Pitts
Delores & Fred Reynolds
Dennis & Susan Roupe
Dennis Shaltanis
Roger & Fran Stefani
Greg Suddeth
Steve & Darlene VanOort
Mike & Rose White
Larry & Marcia Zach
FRIENDS: $1-$49
Friends Investing Together
Ethel Harmon In Memory of Mary Gilbrech French
Rich and Rosemary Taylor In Memory of Betty Hutton
Craig and Karen Hawkins In Memory of Janet Nichols
Arlene Bates In Honor of Sue Rasmussen
Tim Garner
Gene & Kathryn Hill
Ideal Rebekah Lodge
Bob & Jean Jones
Joe & Edie Morr
Clare Ann Stubbs
Virginia Wheeler
Margaret Grant
Terry McAnally
Marvin Rankin
Ms. Schima 3rd Grade -Terrace '04-'05
Raymond Thornton
Lois Hughes
Ward Mally
Hazel Moeckly
Kelly Morrow
Richard &Gina Sokol
Roy Stoll
Warren W. Thornton
Page 5
DATES TO REMEMBER
Sept. 6 – Open House 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Sept. 10 – Open House 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Depression Glass Program —7:00 p.m.
Sept. 22– Monthly Meeting 7:00 p.m.
Oct. 4 - Open House 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Oct. 22 - Lights On! For Iowa Museums
Halloween Uptown
Oct. 27—Board Meeting—6:00 p.m.
Monthly Meeting—7:00 p.m.
Nov. 1 - Open House 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Nov. 7—Santa’s North Pole Village
Nov. 24—Monthly Meeting 7:00 p.m.
Dec. 5 - Uptown Christmas and Open House
Dec. 5—Christmas Cookie Sale
The Ankeny Area Historical Society is established to collect and secure artifacts and historical
records representing Alleman, Ankeny, Bondurant,
Carney, Elkhart, Enterprise, Polk City, and
Sheldahl for the purpose of preserving American
Heritage
301 S.W Third Street, P.O. Box 1111
Ankeny, IA 50021-3059
515-965-5795
www.ankenyhistorical.org
2009 Officers
Ron Sampson – President
Rachel Jones - Vice President
Norma Righi – Secretary
Joyce Lundstrom – Treasurer
Board of Directors
Don Penquite, Marilyn Shay,
Bryan Lundstrom
Barbara Agan, Terry Adamson,
Roger Spahr
Ober Anderson, Margie Law
Katie Kendall
Ex--Officio
Ex
Dr. Matthew Wendt - Superintendent of Schools
Joe Morr – Past President
JoAnn Adamson – Past President
Myrtle L. Sexauer - Past President
Bonnie S. Ballard - Past President
Barbara J. White – Past President
Past Presidents
*Wayne A. Begg
James W. Anderlik
*Richard D. Hermann
*Willard L. Nagle
*Deceased