December Newsletter - Ankeny Area Historical Society

December 2007 Newsletter
301 SW Third, PO Box 1111
Ankeny, IA 50021
Phone: 515-965-5795
www.ankenyhistorical.org email: history@ankeny historical.org
Volume 13, Number 4
NEEDED
WANTED
DESIRED
APPRECIATED!
Like the movie said, “Build it and they will come . .
Well, we did not build a ball field so that people could come and experience history and memories of baseball. We built a museum so that people could come and enjoy learning about and experience Ankeny history
and the treasures of years gone by.
And coming is what they are doing. The monthly Sunday open houses are attended better than ever. Scout
troops and classes are requesting tour times. Church groups, clubs and families are making inquiries on how
to best come and visit the museums. With new hand-outs and displays the museum is mostly a self-serve
guided tour that people can browse for minutes or hours. Each item is identified and explained and aside from
the “ . . . oooohs and aaaaahs . . . “ little is said.
So, as you fill-out your calendar for 2008, please take some time to dedicate a little of your time to the education of our students and residents as they stroll down the memory lanes of old Ankeny. The opportunities
are bountiful. One Sunday each month there is a two-hour period that needs 3-4 volunteers in the buildings.
Each SummerFest we need folks to help plan, prepare, serve and clean up during the BBQ luncheon. The September Ice Cream Social is a delicious way to give some time. More adventurous folks may want to offer time
on certain Saturdays for grounds keeping and yard work. Special tours during the week—sometimes during
the day and sometimes in the evening need hosts.
The careful and the patient will love to work cleaning and resetting the displays. Santa’s North Pole Village
is a fundraiser for the society where we sell bagel bites and beverages to the crafty clients. In 2008, a ladies’
tea event is anticipated and help for that will be needed.
As we have said in past requests. . . there is no heavy lifting, the conversation is light, the responsibility is
minimal and the people are wonderful. Volunteer today to take a step back in time in our new museums and
be part of the education of Ankeny’s colorful and interesting past. Call us with your interest and leave a message 965-5795.
YES. . . I CAN AND WILL HELP!
I love Ankeny and its historical roots and I would be happy to volunteer some of my spare time in the following areas:
SummerFest BBQ Lunch
Sunday Open Houses 2-4
Special Tours
Cleaning & Resetting Displays
Santa’s North Pole Village
Yard Works
Ice Cream Social
Ladies’ Tea Event
Anything, Anytime
Send to: Ankeny Area Historical Society
P.O. Box 1111
Ankeny, IA 50021
L
AL
C
OR
965-5795!
New Boardmembers Elected
Three new board members have been elected to
the posts for the Ankeny Area Historical Society.
New members Terry Adamson, Barb Agan and
Roger Spahr bring experience, know-how and a
deep interest in the museum for their terms.
Terry is a retired employee of the Ankeny school
system and also farms his century farm east of Ankeny. Terry is married to JoAnn, who has served
on the board and is a past-president. He is a 1964
graduate of Ankeny schools.
Barb Agan is an active member of the society
along with her husband Bill. Barb is part of the collections committee. You will find her here on
Wednesdays and Fridays cleaning, cataloging or
setting up displays for the museums. Barb’s late
father, Willard Nagle was a past president of the
society. Barb is a 1968 graduate of AHS.
Roger Spahr’s family has been here for generations. Roger has been in the Ankeny real estate
business for years and is currently with Iowa Reality. He is a member of the AHS Class of 1958.
Deliciously
Social
Sunday
A picture perfect Sunday
in September brought out
hundreds of ice cream socialites as they taste-tested
pies, cookies, cakes and bars
along with delicious toppings. The annual fundraiser brought in over $560
which goes to the effort to
pay-off the mortgage on the
new facility.
Incorporated for 105 Years
The town of Ankeny was legally incorporated by
order of the Polk County District Court on January
26, 1903. It was on December 24, 1902, when H.C.
Goughnour and others filed a petition for incorporation with the Court. The election on the incorporation was held on January 24, 1903. There were
forty-four votes cast in favor of incorporation and
ten votes cast against.
Looking For Ankeny School
Memorabilia
One of our exhibits in the barn is about Ankeny
Schools. We are looking for memorabilia from any
of the Ankeny schools (Northwest, Northeast, Westwood, Southeast, Terrace, Crocker, Central, Northview, Neveln, Parkview and High School). We have
a special display on Parkview. So if you have items
you have saved from school and don’t know what to
do with it, please consider donating
it to the society.
The Collection Committee would like to thank all of you who have helped us this
year. Thank you to all who helped us clean, arrange, and process artifacts. Also, we
would like to thank all those who either donated artifacts or monetarily donated.
We have accomplished a lot this year, but we still have a lot more work to do.
Page 2
Project Reports And Updates
As our barn contractor, Larry Pitts finishes his
“honey-do” punch list on the new structure, more
attention is being given to the century-old house
structure to insure it’s continued good service. Ankeny High School students in the building trades are
possibly going to be diving in on the new handicap
ramp construction and we are pitching them also to
consider helping with the replacement of the old,
drafty windows. Ankeny’s superintendent, Dr.
Matthew Wendt and high school principal Brenda
Colby have been favorable to investigating the pro-
jects…
The exterior painting of the old house is mostly
complete by one of it’s former residents Norm
McCleary.
As the upstairs wallpaper (circa 1970) cascades
down, we will be painting in it’s replacement.
While it withstood the tornado of 1974 and the first
decade of tours. . .it is begging to come down despite duct tape, push pins and glue.
Old 400 Draws A Crowd
The Ankeny Area Historical Society participated in Lights On! For Iowa Museums on October 25. Featured
were the Ankeny Fire Department’s “Old 400” Fire truck, along with antique fire equipment, hats and other
memorabilia. Many visitors attend the open house including Brownies and Cub Scouts. Brownies from Troop
419 stopped and had their picture taken in front of “Old 400.” The Historical Society would like to thank the
Ankeny Fire Department, Ted & Shauna Jansen, and Lynn Pitts for helping with our display.
Do You Remember The Snow Storm Of December 22, 1961?
On December 22, 1961, Mother Nature assured Ankeny of a white Christmas. Strong winds accompanied
by seven to nine inches of snow brought everything but emergency equipment to a standstill. Approximately
200 stranded motorists spent the night in Ankeny, many at the Legion Hall.
What memories do you have of this storm or other winter storms? We are always looking for memories of
Ankeny and it’s residents. Please share your memories with us by calling, e-mailing or writing to us.
P.S. The strong winds didn’t slow down Santa that year, though he did have to use Rudolph.
Page 3
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
SAPPHIRE: $10,000--$49,999
John Deere Des Moines Works
Des Moines Register & Ankeny Press Citizen
Ankeny Building Association
Rod & Dee Lein
Prairie Meadows Race Track & Casino
PEARL: $5,000--$9,999
VGI Design
Snyder & Associates, Inc.
Polk County
Community State Bank
First American Bank
Gateway Savings Bank
Richard Logli & Dena Randolph
In Memory of the P.A. Logli Family
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
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 Jean Jones
Gene & Bev Samuelson
Family & Friends In Memory of Blasco Fontanini
Terry & JoAnn Adamson
Albaugh-McGovern Legion Post #42
Gerald & Marie Ballard
Orville & Bonnie Ballard
Casey's General Stores
Lynn & Nancy DeLapp In Memory Delma DeLapp
Larry & Dorothy Donaghy
Jeanne Ersland, Eleanor Tilton & Gale Gibson
In Memory of the Max & Ella Gibson
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
Dorothy Wyant
Don & Carolyn Zuck
GOLD: $500--$999
Richard Logli In Memory of Rico Logli
Bill & Barb Agan
Phillip M. Thompson (In-Kind)
Fred & Fran Smith
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
Cecil & Carole Ballard
Denman & Company LLP In Memory of Larry Donaghy
Marilyn Shay In Memory Bill Shay
Ankeny High School Class of 1967
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
David & Anne Gardner In Memory of John Price, Edith & Bee
Morris, J. Arthur, Evelyn, Judy Ault, & Hazel Ault
Page 4
Silver: $100-499 (Cont.)
The Mutcher Family
Ben & Jean Norman
Clarence & Betty Altenburger
Ethel Harmon, Jill, Robert, & Jan
In Memory of Mary Gilbrech 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
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
Luke Brothers, Inc.
John E. Lundstrom
Madrid Historical Society
Bill & Sarah Magnani
Jim & Barb McNamee
Memory Lane Questers
John & Mary Moffitt
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
BRONZE: $50-$99
Craig Hawkins In Memory of Erma M. Hawkins
MidAmerican Matching Jan & Merlin Christians
In Memory of Mary Gilbrech French
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
Ethel Harmon
Craig Hawkins
Heartland floors
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
Red Cross Display is part of the Military Display in the basement of house.
Country kitchen can be found on the second floor of our barn.
Look
At
What
Is
Showing
At
Our
Museums!
Find this 1949 wedding dress, along with
many of wedding
dresses on the second
floor of the house.
In the barn, find a
woodworker’s shop
ready for customers.
The display
was set up by Matt
Scott of Ankeny.
Page 6
In the early 1900’s
mining was a big
part of Ankeny’s
economy. See our
display on the first
floor of the barn.
Coming Soon!
A display by
Ankeny High
School American Culture
class
students on
“Entertainment!
Workers from Number 1 Mine—Enterprise, Iowa
New Town—Enterprise
Reprinted from the Ankeny Press Citizen, November 14, 2007. The October 24, 1902 issue of the Ankeny
Times had a front page ad extolling the virtues of the new town of Enterprise east of Ankeny and offering lots
for sale. This town is located in good farming country and in the midst of great coalfields. It will be a hummer when the coalmines are in operation.
Share Your Photos With Us!
Old
Photos
Still
Needed!
Photos
Of
Ankeny!
The Historical Society is looking for photos to help us tell Ankeny’s history (anything that happened before today is history).
Check your photo albums for family photos and photos of community,
school and organizational activities and events that help tell our history, then
contact us.
You may send you photos by :
• e-mail to: history@ankenyhistorical.org
• mail to: Ankeny Area Historical Society
P.O. Box 1111, Ankeny, IA 50021
• Or drop them off at the house: 301 SW 3rd St. (In the heart of Uptown).
If you send photos that you would like returned, be sure to note that on
the photo. We will scan it and return the original to you.
Page 7
DATES TO REMEMBER 2007
December 1— Uptown Christmas
December 2—Open House—2-4 pm
January 22—Board Meeting and
Monthly Meeting—7 pm
February 26—Monthly Meeting—7 pm
March 25—Monthly Meeting—7 pm
2007 Officers
Ron Sampson – President
Rachel Jones - Vice President
Norma Righi – Secretary
Joyce Lundstrom – Treasurer
Board of Directors
Barbara Agan, Terry Adamson,
Ward Mally
Ober Anderson, Lynn Pitts
Dorothy Thornton
Don Penquite, Marilyn Shay,
Bryan Lundstrom
Ex--Officio
Ex
Joe Morr – Past President
JoAnn Adamson – Past President
Myrtle L. Sexauer - Past President
Bonnie S. Ballard - Past President
Barbara J. White – Past President
The Ankeny Area Historical Society is established to collect and secure artifacts and historical
records representing Ankeny, Alleman, 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
Past Presidents
*Wayne A. Begg
James W. Anderlik
*Richard D. Hermann
*Willard L. Nagle
*Deceased