Iowa Heritage Illustrated

Juhl, Paul C

Murder on Brushy Creek

Mitchell, Barbara

Laminated Timber Arches Graces WPA Gymnasium

Thomas, Richard H

Governor Robert Ray had not been willing to take a 
political risk and use one of his appointments to the 
then new State Historical Board for this son of South 
Dakota, a "Roosevelt Democrat" who was anxious to 
serve the cause of the people's story. I owe him much 
and gladly acknowledge him and others who gave me 
gifts of great and lasting value.
Indulge me in a few remarks as I begin to draw one 
phase of my professional life to a close. It would be fun 
to rehearse the past but I want to share a few observa­
tions about the future based on the past.
I see my career as a historian and public servant di­
vided into decades —the first being dedicated to study­
ing and writing the history of politics. Then the next 
ten years were invested in the politics of history as I 
became engaged in all the details of managing, collect­
ing, and preserving Iowa history. How we understand 
our past has political overtones, most evident in fre­
quent debates about what to teach our children about 
the making of our national story. Interpretations in 
textbooks, editorials, and news reports assume some 
perspective about our past. The issue of perspective 
will be forever a subject of public discourse. My reflec­
tions here are not about historical perspective but rath­
er about the agencies that support the serious study of 
history and are the structures for gathering and pre­
serving historical material.
My last two decades working at the national, state, 
and local level on behalf of history have taught me 
much. I quickly learned that all my graduate degrees 
did not mean much when dealing with elected offi­
cials. They meant more in the classroom but not much 
in the legislative halls. Public support for funding for 
all forms of history must contend with critical social 
and economic needs such as sewers, social welfare, se­
curity, police, education, et cetera. All these needs have 
constituencies that involve strong economic interests 
that profit from legislative appropriations. Iowa histo­
ry lacks a broad support base or aggressive lobby that 
is willing to engage in serious politics. This is true of 
the arts as well.
When reflecting on my past experience, Icome to several observations about the fu­ture. First, any serious and quality historical 
agency requires bright, well-trained professionals who 
know both the discipline of history and how to effec­
tively manage a historical enterprise. Volunteers are in­
dispensable to almost every historical agency, but they 
cannot accomplish the professional tasks essential for 
the care and preservation of historical resources.
Second, to secure adequate public support and ap­
propriations, we must engage more than a few genu­
inely sympathetic legislators. We need a bipartisan 
"history caucus" composed of supporting legislators 
and representatives from historical organizations to set 
goals for each legislative session and design strategies 
to accomplish those priorities.
Third, without making history a commodity or 
cheapening its intrinsic value, we should point out the 
economic benefits of adequate historical programs. 
Businesses are finding that having their own historical 
archives is an excellent management tool. We must be 
more effective in "making the case" for history. Sim­
ply saying history "enriches our quality of life" is not 
enough! The current success of historical or heritage 
tourism is one immediate ally in this effort. However, 
we must be careful that what passes as historical tour­
ism not become very little history and a lot of tourism. 
Creating romantic notions of our past with touches of 
Walt Disney may be good tourism, but it is very bad 
and misleading history.
P
oint four follows from the previous observations. 
Historical groups need to build partnerships 
with the economic sector to take quality history 
to new constituencies in effective ways, and possibly 
in new places. I wonder if the days of the large central 
museum are coming to an end. Large museums tend 
to wait for the people to come to them, and across the 
nation admission statistics show dramatic decline even 
in institutions of great prominence. We must be more 
proactive and find new, imaginative ways to take his­
tory to the people.
And last, the preservation of historic structures 
needs economic incentives. Tax incentives are neces­
sary to stimulate investments and keep important 
landmarks on the tax roles. We need tax incentives at 
all levels of government to make preservation "good 
business." Governor Culver's signature on the historic 
preservation tax incentive bill is truly an act to be cel­
ebrated. It means that the State of Iowa is willing to en­
courage the preservation of our built environment. The 
evidence is clear from many years of experience that 
such public policy is good for everyone and is an effec­
tive way to preserve important elements of our past.
We are all makers of history. The big question is, 
Will we become careful, passionate caretakers of our 
rich past? I pass the torch of leadership to you! ♦>
Summer 2007 51


English

The Politics of History

New to the National Register (2007)

Mullenbach, Cheryl

The Election of Julia Addington: An Accident Milestone in Iowa Politics

Braniff, Annie

Historic Events I've Lived Through

Schwantes, Carlos A

Soldiers of Misfortune

Slonneger, Marybeth

Wetherby's Gallery of Early Iowa

Swaim, Ginalie

Solving the Leisure Problem: Recreation and the WPA

Kernek, Clare L

Opera Houses, 
Armories,
& New Deal Gyms
Historic Sites 
in Iowa Basketball
O n e  w o u ld  e x p e c t  t h a t  i t  w o u ld  b e  t h e  
r a r e  b a s k e tb a ll  g y m n a s iu m  t h a t  h as  s e e n  
fe w  c h a n g e s  s in c e  i t  w a s  b u i l t .  B u t  a  s t a t e ­
w id e  s u rv e y  in  2 0 0 3  fo u n d  t h a t  a  n u m b e r  
o f  b a s k e tb a ll  g y m s , p a r t ic u la r ly  a t  s m a l le r  
h ig h  s c h o o ls , w e r e  v e r y  n e a r ly  c o m p le t e ly  
in t a c t .  M o r e  th a n  t w o  d o z e n  s till i m p a r t  a  
s t r o n g  s e n s e  o f  t i m e  a n d  p la c e . T h e  g y m s  
p r e s e n te d  h e r e  r e p r e s e n t  a ll a re a s  in  th e  
s ta t e  a n d  d a t e  f r o m  1911 t o  1 9 3 6 .
T h e  s u rv e y  w a s  fu n d e d  b y  t h e  S t a t e  
H is t o r ic a l  S o c ie ty  o f  Io w a  a n d  c o n d u c te d  
b y T a llg r a s s  H is to r ia n s  L .C .  Its  p u r p o s e  w a s  
t o  id e n t i fy  h is to r ic a l ly  s ig n if ic a n t  p r o p e r t ie s  
b u i l t  p r io r  t o  19 6 0  a n d  t h a t  w e r e  a s s o c ia te d  
w it h  b a s k e tb a ll  in  Io w a — o n e  o f  t h e  s t a t e ’s
m o s t  p o p u la r  t e a m  s p o r ts .
—Adapted from text by Clare L Kernek 
and Leah D. Rogers. Tallgrass Historians L C.
The Westgate Opera House, built in 1911, was intended for public entertainment 
Like many small-town opera houses, it was also used for community and athletic 
events, such as roller skating, wrestling events, and basketball games. The original 
ticket window remains in the lobby, and the basketball goal still hangs over the en­
try doors. Decorative pressed tin covers the walls and ceiling.The exterior pressed 
metal siding mimics rusticated block or brick. Owned by the city ofWestgate since 
1939, it is managed by Westgate Community Club and used as a community center 
for meetings, suppers, musicals, parties, and similar events.
Dating to 19 12, the Villisca Armory represents one of many Iowa 
armories originally built with basketball facilities to be used by 
the local community. It has changed little since 1912 and retains 
the original basketball court, with balcony seating and pressed tin 
ceiling. The Villisca High School played all of its basketball games 
there until 1959, when a new facility was built. In recent years, 
the National Guard turned the armory over to the local school 
district, and the gym is once again used for school athletics.
Nicknamed “the Dungeon," the gymnasium of Sioux City Cen­
tral High School was the site of powerhouse basketball teams in 
northwestern Iowa. This was one of the early high school gyms 
built in Iowa specifically for basketball and was regarded as an 
outstanding design for the time. Built in 1913 and designed by 
F. E. Colby, the gym was an addition to the 1892/93 high school. 
Closed in 1972, the high school itself is listed on the National 
Register as an outstanding example of the Romanesque style of 
architecture. The school is under renovation for adaptive reuse.
88 Iowa Heri tage Illustra ted
... _ r
i SÉ . -: ffBB-•_• ,  . -


Opera Houses, Armories, & New Deal Gyms: Historic Sites in Iowa Basketball