newsletter of the - Prairie Trails Museum

NEWSLETTER OF THE
WAYNE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
P.O. Box 104, Corydon, Iowa 50060
March 2011
[email protected]
641-872-2211
www.prairietrailsmuseum.org
Annual Meeting & Banquet Thursday, March 31
If it’s time for WCHS annual meeting then winter will soon be over!! Just like the arrival of robins we
can mark the coming spring by yearly events in our community.
The event will be held in the west wing of Prairie Trails Museum and both members and non-members
are invited to attend. Doors will open at 6pm and the only cost to attend is $12.00 for the meal. Anyone is
welcome to attend only the program that begins at approximately 7:30pm.
The meal will be catered by Patty Mason and serving will begin at 6:30 pm. A short business meeting
will follow sharing the highlights of activities at the Prairie Trails Museum during the past year and plans for
the coming year. Election of board members and officers for 2011 will be held; all Historical Society members
have voting privileges.
The time: 6:30 pm.
The place: Prairie Trails Museum
Our guest speaker, Mike Chapman created Iowa History
Journal, a magazine devoted to preserving Iowa history
and telling stories about major personalities who have left
their mark in the fields of business, sports, politics, and
entertainment.
A dynamic speaker, Mike will make
Iowa history come alive for those at the meeting.
“History is exciting and fun when taught from a
people perspective,” said Mike. “That is my goal in my
speeches and in all my writings.”
A native of Waterloo, Mike Chapman retired
from a 35-year newspaper career in 2002. His last job was publisher of the
Newton Daily News. He is a magazine publisher, book author and public
speaker. Mike has written 22 books, and one of his books – Lowell Park – is
about Ronald Reagan as a lifeguard at the age of 23 in the summer of 1932 in
his hometown of Dixon, IL. It is currently in preproduction as a major motion
picture.
Mike is also well known in the world of wrestling. In 1998, he created the Dan Gable International
Wrestling Institute and Museum, which is located in Waterloo. Mike served as its executive director until
retiring in October, 2009. Mike has been named National Wrestling Writer of the Year five times, by four
different national magazines.
As a writer, Mike has met an interviewed such people as Ronald Reagan, Muhammad Ali, Robert
Redford, Lou Ferrigno, and many other stars of movies and sports. He has appeared on numerous TV shows
including ESPN, A&E, Fox Sports, Iowa Public Television and the popular morning show, Fox and Friends.
He has been a guest on over 200 radio talk shows.
Meal Cost: $12.00
Reservations needed by March 25
Opening Day
Spring is fast approaching and soon Prairie Trails Museum will open for the 2011 season. Beginning on April 15
the museum will be open daily from 1pm - 5pm with volunteers at the door to greet visitors. For those interested in
genealogy research the library is open 1pm – 5pm Mon thru Sat.
On June 1 the doors will be open 10 am - 5pm Mon thru Sat and 1pm – 5pm on Sunday.
Billy Davis and the B # Band
Billy D. Davis retired in 1988 after teaching instrumental
music for thirty-eight years; three in Edina, MO schools, and thirtyfive in Corydon at Wayne Community School. Teaching in
Corydon/Wayne school system 1953-1988, Mr. Davis taught more
than one generation in some families attending Wayne Community
School.
Mr. Davis’s program
included performing as a
marching band, concert band,
jazz band, stage band, pep
band, solos, and groups in
festivals and annual contests.
There were several years he
also served the school system as the vocal music teacher in
addition to his duties as Director of Instrumental Music. Mr. Davis
directed the popular summer band concerts on Corydon square
Bette Neely, Priscilla Thomas, Nancy Deaver
1953-54 Band Students
for 32 years.
During his 35 year tenure at Wayne Community School there were over 300 ensembles and
soloists who earned Division I and first place awards. Over the years the B Sharp Marching Band
brought home numerous awards. In April 1987 the B Sharp Marching Band won first place in class
2A at the Drake Relays Parade (the band is pictured in front of the Iowa state capital in the photo
below right).
Under Mr. Davis’s direction the Wayne High
School concert band recorded five LP albums and one
cassette. Titles of the albums are as follows: The B#
Sound of 1963, Billy’s Band 1970, Edifice (ca.1974),
Reflections (1978), Odyssey (1982). All five albums are
currently a part of Prairie Trails Museum collections,
donated by Bill & Jane Davis a few years ago.
Every four years the band took an out-of-state
extended trip to Missouri, South Dakota, or Colorado
which included competition either as a marching band or
a symphonic concert band. During the years many
awards were earned by the marching band and in other
areas of instrumental music where the judges
acknowledged the high level of performance by his
students as groups and individuals.
In Bill Davis’s final year of teaching instrumental
music at Wayne Community High School the band won
eleven first place awards, plus sweepstake trophies and
plaques at contest within the state and also won the Silver Medal at the International Music Festival in
Estes Park, CO.
A 1985 article in the Peptimist (student page in Times Republican) noted that Bill Davis had
the longest tenure of any teacher at Wayne Community at 32 years. He taught three more years,
retiring after 35 years of teaching kids to keep time, step in unison, perform intricate formations on the
football field during half-time, and appreciation of playing a musical instrument to the best of one’s
ability.
TAKING A CLOSER LOOK
When walking through Prairie Trail Museum galleries have
you ever wondered what the story is behind an object. How did it
come to be in Wayne County? Was it brought by covered wagon
or train? Was it handed down through the generations of a family?
There are almost as many stories as there are artifacts in the
museum.
There are seven pianos in the museum collections, each
wonderful examples of the past. A Steinway square grand piano in
the Pioneer Trails Gallery was donated to the Historical Society in
1957 by Harriet MacRea. The square grand piano was given to a
12 year old girl, Harriet Hasbrouck, grandmother of Mrs. MacRea.
Levi and Phoebe Hasbrouck lived in Ulster County, New York when Harriet was born in 1853. In 1859
the Hasbrouck family moved to Springfield, Illinois where Levi engaged in farming as one of the early settlers
to that region. Did the family travel on the newly built railroad or maybe they took a steam boat to their new
home in 1859.
The Hasbrouck’s had eight children, the two eldest born in New York, the others in Illinois. While
living in Springfield the Hasbrouck family became friends with Mr. & Mrs. Abraham Lincoln. Sometime later
the Hasbrouck family returned to their native New York.
William H. Buck was a veteran of the Civil War serving four years with Company A, 7th Maryland
Volunteer Infantry. Following the close of the war William returned to his native state, Maryland to work as a
carpenter for a year. Lured by opportunities he moved to Springfield, IL in 1866 to work as a carpenter and
builder. There he met a young woman by the name of Harriet (Hattie) A. Hasbrouck.
On Dec 12, 1868 William & Harriet (Hasbrouck) Buck were married. Following their marriage
William turned his attention to farming and the newlyweds moved to Ulster County, New York to be near
Harriet’s family. By 1877 the lure of western opportunities became strong and the Buck’s moved to Richmond
Township, Wayne County, Iowa bringing all their possessions including the Steinway piano. William &
Harriet prospered in their new home raising five children on a farm east of Humeston. According to Past and
Present of Lucas and Wayne Counties in 1913 the Buck’s had a 240 acre farm with a modern home.
Capt. Jacob D. Hasbrouck,(pictured right), uncle of Harriet Hasbrouck Buck
moved to Richman Township in the spring of 1869 and purchased 320 acres of
“wild land”.
Other family and friends followed Capt Hasbrouck to Iowa
including William & Harriet Buck. The 1870’s was a time of rapid growth in
southern Iowa and soon most of the county was settled. In 1880 Jacob was a very
successful farmer and joined with his friend Dr. George McCulloch in the
banking business in Humeston.
Later Levi Williams (grandson of William & Harriet Buck) was one of the
founders of the Humeston State Bank.
As with many prized family possessions Harriet Hasbrouck Buck handed
the Steinway Square Grand piano down to her daughter Jennie (Buck) MacRea.
When Jennie died in 1957 her daughter Harriet (MacRea) Watson of State Center, IA donated it to Wayne
County Historical Society.
A Steinway is considered the premiere piano in the world
with superior sound quality. The Steinway square grand was
patented in 1859; the museum’s piano was built in 1866. By 1900
the company changed from the Victorian style to create an upright
grand piano with improved sound quality. In the photo at left can be
seen the embossed brass markings on the soundboard under the
cover of the Steinway Square Grand Piano on display at the Prairie
Trails Museum.
Saving History
In April 2009 Prairie Trails Genealogy Librarians
began work on a huge project to preserve and microfilm
early Wayne County probate court documents. This
project was supported in part by the State Historical
Society of Iowa Historical Resource Development
Program.
In 1978 by order of district court a large number
of early Wayne County Probate
Court documents were given to
the Wayne County Historical
Society
for
storage
and
preservation.
The documents
are
wills,
estates,
and
guardianships dating from 1851 through1925. Each document was fastened
together with brads, staples, paper clips, or pins and folded tightly into small
metal canisters (pictured right).
Volunteers removed each packet from the canister, flattened the pages,
and carefully removed all fasteners to avoid damage to the historical document.
Each will, estate, or guardianship then was placed in an archival folder and filed
in an acid free box. Volunteers have worked during the past two years
preparing all the documents for microfilming.
In early January, Phillip Scow of Topeka, KS, a
photographer with Family Search set up his camera
equipment in the Armed Forces Gallery to begin the
microfilming. Phil is pictured at left photographing
documents.
Family Search is a national not-for-profit
organization, associated with the Genealogical Society
of Utah, dedicated to preserving historical records. The
organization does the filming free of charge to the
museum. Family Search keeps a copy of the filmed
documents in their archives and copies are given to
Prairie Trails Museum and State Historical Society of
Iowa.
As volunteers went through the files it was interesting to see the cost of items such as clothes,
livestock, caskets listed in the wills. They were surprised to see 8% interest rates in the late 1800’s.
It was amazing to find that a dog license in the town of Seymour in 1895 was $1.00!
This project should be completed by late April. Volunteers have logged almost 2,000 hours
preparing the documents for preservation and filming. This project will be a benefit for anyone
researching family genealogy in Wayne County. Sometimes a probate file may be the only link
available to find more information about an ancestor.
MEMORIALS:
Since our last Newsletter, memorial gifts have been received by the Wayne County
Historical Society for: Thelma Pidcock, Rose and Willard DeBolt, Ken Ireland, Chris Coates, Roy and Ratchel
Glenn, Robert and Doris Lohr Taylor, Capt. Karl “Bud” Holliday, Robert and Allie Leazer, Mae Dray, Jean
Nickel, John Fisher, Dorothy Clayton Pohl, Martha Michael, Drayden Elliot Alexis, Wilda Elmer Levis, and
Dorothy Fry. These gifts are very much appreciated by the Historical Society as well as by family members,
and we sincerely thank all those who have given memorials.
Contributions have also been received toward the restoration of the Dodrill Cemetery site since the last
Newsletter.