Earlham Echo

September 16, 2023

Way back in the day, there were many of us that thought history class was pretty dull. We couldn’t wait for it to be over so we could get home in front of the TV, to basketball practice—or anywhere else, really. But as we got older, we found out that history is actually pretty cool.

Right now in Earlham, history is alive and well—and definitely not boring. The Madison County Historic Preservation Commission’s (MCHPC) study of Earlham’s downtown commercial area is proceeding according to plan. If the results of the study are favorable, the MCHPC can be eligible to apply to the National Park Service to have the area listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).

For the past several months, MCHPC has researched building histories and located old photos. They hired Tallgrass Archaeology, a cultural resource management firm based in Iowa City, to aid in research and disseminate the information. Representatives from Tallgrass have visited Earlham twice during the project. They will complete a formal write-up that will be submitted to and evaluated by the State of Iowa this winter. Hopefully, that evaluation will result in a decision that the area studied would be eligible to apply to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

The work up to this point has been impressive, but the many bits and pieces gathered so far need to fit together into a bigger historical picture if the project is to get to the next step. Tallgrass has asked MCHHPC to pause from continuing research until they can digest and review the information and photos already provided. Next, they will ask more detailed questions that will need to be answered.

“We picked up river pebbles,” said Linda Griffith Smith, chairman of the MCHPC. “We were looking at fact by fact by fact. And they liked that we had them all in a row. But they’re going to look at it from 10,000-foot view, and ask, ‘Have you really told a story here.’ They’ll look it over and say, ‘You know, you guys have this piece of information on all the buildings but these three: can you find out who dug the basement, or who put the windows in, or there’s a gap here.’ We’re waiting for the hard questions to drop, but we have most of it.”

Many stories are emerging from the research. Among these is the tale of a man named James Laird. The MCHPC found his obituary in the Stuart Locomotive, a newspaper published in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Laird was an entrepreneur that contracted with the Rock Island Railroad, providing lumber as the railroad continued its westward expansion in Iowa. He eventually settled in Earlham and opened a stone quarry. Among his customers was the state of Iowa, who used a large quantity of the Earlham stone in building the State Capitol.

Last year, the MCHPC put out the word that they needed local residents’ help with the project, and over a dozen long-time Earlhamites stepped up. Smith and Colleen Petersen, MCHPC commissioner and manager for this project, have been pleased with the support received from the community in granting meetings and interviews and offering photos. So were the folks at Tallgrass, who mentioned that the work the volunteers have done is ‘exceptional’ and stands well above what they are accustomed to receiving from other groups on the many projects they handle each year.

“We just had a tremendous amount of people that were onboard and that wanted to help,” said Petersen. “Even as we walked down the street, or we’d go into a building. Business owners or employees would tell us what they knew about the building. It was pretty amazing.”

The Earlham Historical Society has been particularly helpful with the project. They allowed the MCHPC to scan hundreds of their fabulous photos and let them use their building for meetings. Andy Arnburg, John Jones, Bruce Koboldt, and Bev Reinert were among those that provided invaluable information.

“One day we were there from 9 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon,” said Petersen. “They just went out of their way to go literally building by building and tell us what was in each and when it had been there—as they remembered it. That was phenomenal. It was a major boost because we struggled at times. One of the interesting quirky things about Earlham—from the 1800s all the way through today, in every newspaper, in every advertisement—nobody ever listed a physical address. The interviews really helped tie down a lot of the historic ownership and what businesses were there throughout time.”

A property listed in the National Register of Historic Places benefits from recognition of the property’s historic, architectural, or archaeological significance. The designation is also a tool for local planning, heritage tourism, and education, provides for review of any federally licensed, financed, or assisted projects to determine its effect on historic properties, makes properties eligible for federal and/or state income tax credit, and provides qualification for federal assistance for historic preservation (such as planning and rehabilitation), when funds are available.