Des Moines Historical Society

Oct. 2011 newsletter - text only

The Des Moines Historical Society

 

Newsletter

 

Vol. II, No. 4

 

October, 2011

 

Join us to study, preserve and present the history of Iowa’s capital city.

 

NEXT MEETING

 

“Des Moines Notables: Names From Des Moines

 

That Have Become Famous”

 

Thursday, October 27, 2011

 

6-8 p.m.

 

Iowa Genealogical Society, 628 E. Grand

 

Free parking in ramp at E. Grand/Penn

 

This program is the first in a series that will explore people,

 

places and things from Des Moines that have become nation-

 

ally and internationally recognized. There are more than you

 

might think! Those who attend this meeting are in for some

 

surprises - you don’t want to miss it!

 

Complimentary refreshments will be available. The DMHS

 

business meeting will follow the program about 7 p.m. For

 

more information call President Pat Meiners, (515) 278-

 

1234.

 

 

Happy 160th Birthday, Des Moines

 

Fort Des Moines was incorporated Septem-

 

ber 22, 1851. The name was shortened to,

 

and officially incorporated as, Des Moines

 

in 1857.

 

At the time Fort Des Moines was incorpo-

 

rated, land prices were $1.25 per acre. A double log cabin

 

could be built for $70 and butter was $.10 per pound. The

 

Rev. Thompson Bird was elected the first mayor at the first

 

town election held October 28, 1851.

 

Members of the Des Moines Historical Society Board participated in the annual

 

Beaverdale Fall Festival parade Saturday, Sept. 17. The parade went very well...

 

after it dried up! It started raining that morning, and then again after we got the

 

candy and all put in the back of the truck. Fortunately it didn’t last too long.

 

Tim and Alex Payne drove their ‘31 Model Acoupe and Rick Meiners his 31 ‘A’pick-

 

up. Karen Hanley looked lovely in her circa 1900 outfit and some beautiful heirloom

 

jewelry and accessories. Alex joined in the fun with suspenders and a 1930s-era hat.

 

Chris ‘CJ’ Johnson was a “big hit” in his Des Moines Demons baseball uniform

 

complete with ca. 1910 Des Moines Glove Co. gloves and vintage bats.

 

We tossed a lot of candy and about 200 flyers about the DMHS to parade watchers.

 

A BIG THANK YOU to Tim, Alex, Rick, Karen and CJ for a job well done!

 

Des Moines Historical Society Members in Beaverdale Fall Festival Parade

 

Pat Meiners, President

 

Pictured above, from left: Tim Payne, Rick Meiners,

 

Alex Payne, CJ Johnson and Pat Meiners. Inset:

 

Karen Hanley gets ready to ride in the ‘31 Model A

 

Coupe (Alex Payne in passenger seat).

 

KAREN HANLEY

 

DMHS will hold an open house the Des Moines Birthplace/

 

Fort Des Moines II log cabin (just north of Principal Park) on

 

Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011 from 10 a.m. - noon.

 

Drop by during the Downtown Farmer’s Market to see this

 

magnificent piece of Des Moines history and learn more about

 

the Des Moines Historical Society.

 

Cabin Open House Oct. 15

 

The Des Moines Historical Society Board of Directors pro-

 

poses the following change to the Des Moines Historical So-

 

ciety Bylaws:

 

CURRENT:

 

Section 7. LIMITS. No member shall hold more than one of-

 

fice at a time, and no member shall be eligible to serve more

 

than two consecutive terms in the same office. All officers

 

shall be members in good standing in the DMHS.

 

PROPOSED:

 

Section 7. LIMITS. No member shall hold more than one of-

 

fice at a time, and no member shall be eligible to serve more

 

than two consecutive terms in the same office. There shall be

 

no limit to the number of terms a member may serve in any

 

office. All officers shall be members in good standing in the

 

DMHS.

 

The proposed change will be voted on by the membership

 

during the Oct. 27, 2011, quarterly meeting.

 

Given presentations to local organizations about Des

 

 

Moines history

 

Featured with WHO-HD’s Andy Fales for reports

 

 

about historical Des Moines citizens and other topics.

 

Assisted in coordinating the Centennial Celebration of

 

 

the Des Moines Municipal Building in 2009; helping

 

organize and gather items to be placed inside the City

 

Hall Time Capsule.

 

Organized special Members Only events such as

 

 

behind-the-scenes historic tours and research work-

 

shops.

 

The Des Moines Historical Society

 

2

 

NOTICE

 

DMHS Members Treated to Rare Tour of EMC

 

Insurance Archives Room

 

DMHS M

 

EMC Insurance is celebrating 100 years in business in 2011 and members of the Des Moines

 

Historical Society were invited to a special members only event Aug. 6 that allowed them in-

 

side the company’s Archives Room. Employers Mutual Casualty Co. began in 1911 in Des Moines as an

 

association of business people providing workers’ compensation coverage to Iowa manufacturers.

 

Included in the EMC archives is the photo, above, of the employee’s annual picnic Aug. 10, 1950 at Riverview Park in Des Moines.

 

The second photo at right is of an album created for the company’s 50th anniversary in 1961, “A Message to All Branch Offices.”

 

Thank you to EMC and especially Collection Manager Dan Miller for allowing DMHS members to tour the Archives Room!

 

DMHS Seeks Board Members

 

At its annual meeting in January, 2012 (date TBA), the Des

 

Moines Historical Society will hold board elections.

 

If you are interested in learning more about Des Moines histo-

 

ry from people with similar interests, please consider running

 

for a volunteer board position. The DMHS board meets once

 

per month throughout the year, in addition to special events

 

and quarterly meetings.

 

Some things DMHS has already done:

 

The Des Moines Historical Society

 

3

 

July DMHS Meeting Recap: Des Moines & The Civil War

 

The fact that it was an extremely hot and humid day for an

 

outdoor meeting only enhanced the nature of the topic: Des

 

Moines and the Civil War. After all, soldiers dressed in wool

 

uniforms in the summer as well as in the winter, right?

 

The Des Moines Historical Society held its summer quarterly

 

meeting July 24 in Redhead Park on Des Moines’east side. As

 

the nation commemorates the Sesquicentennial of the Civil

 

War (2011-2016), DMHS President Pat Meiners presented

 

a program of Civil War-related events that occurred in Des

 

Moines, beginning with the meeting location.

 

Camp Burnside was a muster and training camp during the

 

Civil War for soldiers joining the 23rd or 39th Iowa Volun-

 

teer Infantries. The camp was located East of the City of Des

 

Moines in 1862 on land now occupied by Redhead Park. The

 

area is now built up with residential houses and various in-

 

dustry.

 

In 1925, Grenville M. Dodge Aux-

 

iliary #8 dedicated the monument

 

located at the southeast corner

 

of the park. The 1925 dedication

 

program was attended by several

 

of the soldiers from the 23rd and

 

39th who were still living at the

 

time. The marker reads: “Site of

 

Camp Burnside 1862 A rendezvous for valiant volunteers

 

from Iowa to the Union Army in the Civil War 1861-1865

 

23rd Inf - 39th Inf Erected 1925 by Grenville M. Dodge

 

Camp Sons of Veterans Auxiliary No. 8, U.S.A. Div. of Iowa.”

 

(Iowa Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War)

 

KAREN HANLEY

 

January DMHS Meeting

 

Invites a “Showstorm”

 

The Des Moines Historical Society invites members and

 

the general public to bring their historical items for a

 

“Show and Tell Showstorm” at its January 2012 meet-

 

ing.

 

If you are in possession of items relating to facets of Des

 

Moines history, and would like to show them off or find

 

out more about them, bring them to this meeting! Guests

 

will be invited to share their objects and the history be-

 

hind them, or learn from others who may know more

 

about them.

 

Annual elections will also be held during this meeting, so

 

everyone is encouraged to attend. The date for the meet-

 

ing will be announced soon.

 

 

events and information about the DMHS.

 

The Des Moines Historical Society regularly holds special

 

“Members Only” events that give members the added “perk”

 

of touring historical homes, businesses or other special events.

 

To participate in “Members Only” events, join DMHS today

 

or make sure your membership is current. Fill out the Mem-

 

bership Application form in this newsletter and mail it in (or

 

fill one out online at www.desmoineshistoricalsociety.org) to

 

take advange of these special “members only” events!

 

Thank you for supporting DMHS!

 

JOIN TODAY

 

THE DES MOINES HISTORICAL SOCIETY of Des Moines, Iowa held its organizational meeting Sunday, September 27,

 

2009 at the Des Moines Birthplace/Fort Des Moines II Memorial Cabin. Article II of the bylaws states: “The purpose of the

 

DMHS is to promote the preservation and study of the history and heritage of Des Moines, Iowa.”

 

2011 DMHS Officers & Board Members

 

Pat Meiners, President

 

Natasha Moore, Vice President

 

Ted Lussem, Treasurer

 

Rick Meiners, Secretary

 

David Coates

 

Karen Hanley

 

Sarah Oltrogge

 

Jacob Shoemaker

 

Julie Thompson

 

The Des Moines Historical Society

 

M

 

EMBERSHIP

 

I

 

NFORMATION

 

4

 

Meetings

 

The Des Moines Historical Society holds quarterly meetings

 

in January, April, July and October. Every meeting is free to

 

attend and open to the public. You do not have to be a DMHS

 

member to attend. Each meeting includes a program related to

 

Des Moines history. The DMHS also holds “members only”

 

events such as private home tours and research workshops.

 

DMHS Meetings & Activities

 

4th Quarter Meeting: Thursday, Oct. 27, “Des Moines No-

 

tables: Names from Des Moines That Have Become Famous.”

 

6-8 p.m. at the Iowa Genealogical Society, 628 E. Grand, Des

 

Moines. Free and open to the public. Free parking in parking

 

ramp at E. Grand/Penn.

 

The DMHS works to:

 

Get the community involved in Des Moines history.

 

 

Make Des Moines history relevant and interesting.

 

 

Have quarterly programs to inform citizens about the history

 

 

of Des Moines.

 

M

 

EMBERSHIP

 

A

 

PPLICATION

 

Fill out a membership application online and pay dues* with a credit card at www.desmoineshistoricalsociety.org.

 

For updates or more information on DMHS, visit www.desmoineshistoricalsociety.org or find us on Facebook “Des Moines His-

 

torical Society.” Questions may be directed to Pat Meiners, president, (515) 278-1234.

 

Today’s date:____________________________________

 

NAME:________________________________________

 

ADDRESS: ____________________________________

 

CITY:_________________________________________

 

STATE:______________________ ZIP:______________

 

E-MAIL: ______________________________________

 

PHONE: _______________________________________

 

Home / Mobile / Work (circle one)

 

FOR 2ND HOUSEHOLD MEMBER or

 

BUSINESS/ORG. VOTING REPRESENTATIVE

 

NAME:________________________________________

 

ADDRESS: ____________________________________

 

CITY:_________________________________________

 

STATE:______________________ ZIP:______________

 

E-MAIL: ______________________________________

 

PHONE: _______________________________________

 

Home / Mobile / Work (circle one)

 

*Dues paid during the last quarter of a year cover the next full year also.

 

______ New Member

 

______ Renewal

 

CHOOSE YOUR MEMBERSHIP LEVEL & ANNUAL DUES:

 

__________

 

$10 Individual Membership

 

__________

 

$15 Household (2 voting members)

 

__________

 

$25 Not-for-profit organizations

 

__________

 

$50 Governmental organizations

 

BUSINESS CLASSIFICATIONS

 

__________

 

$25

 

Less than 50 employees

 

__________

 

$50

 

50 – 99 employees

 

__________

 

$100 100 or more employees

 

Make checks to: Des Moines Historical Society (DMHS).

 

Mail dues and application to:

 

DMHS Treasurer, Ted Lussem

 

2919 John Patterson Rd.

 

Des Moines, IA 50317-3136

 

Special interests:__________________________________________

 

I am interested in volunteering on a committee or as an officer

 

How did you hear about DMHS? _____________________________

 

OPTIONAL

 

For office use: Amt. Rec’d. $ __________ Cash ________

 

Membership # ___________ Check # ___________________
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