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February-March 2008 |
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In
This Issue ·
Iowa Studies Forum Call for Papers, Presentations · SHSI Extends
Lincoln Display Through Feb. 29 · Lincoln Letters
Lure Lookers · WHTC Presents
“Shady Ladies of the West” · Signed on the Dotted Line:
The Charles Aldrich Autograph Collection · Display
Commemorates Black History Month ·
SHSI Plans to Put USS Iowa Silver Back on Display ·
Disaster Response: Is Your Museum Ready? ·
Thompson Presentation on “Morrill Act” Part
of ISU Exhibition ·
Historic Sites Less Popular for Visitors ·
Call for Papers: Frank Lloyd Wright, Sustainability
·
Free Fundraising Guide and Resources on
Preservation ·
New Filing Requirements for Small Nonprofits Other Links of Interest Become a Member of
the State Historical Society of Iowa Contact Us State Historical Society of Museum, Library, Archives, Museum Store, Café Baratta’s 600 E. Locust (515) 281-5111 State Historical Society of (319) 335-3916 |
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The Iowa Studies Centers invites proposals for papers
and presentations on the theme “The World in Proposals may be on various The Iowa Studies Forum will be held on DMACC’s |
roundtable discussions, re-enactments, multi-media
presentations, workshops and more focusing on
The new Iowa Studies Center links together elementary schools, high schools, four year colleges, community colleges, businesses, government departments, nonprofit agencies, museums and the public to better coordinate and promote the continuing exploration of Iowa’s history, science, literature, politics and art.
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Tom Schmeh (center) and Carolyn
Fromanek of |
Artist Concetta Morales and Metro
Arts of Greater Des Moines Director Tracy Levine hold a sign, “The Arts ‘R’
Alive + Well in |
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Jeremy Jakob Edouard, 11, of
Pella, performs in the Capitol Rotunda. |
Governor Chet Culver places a
flower on the mural “Time for Culture” by artist Brent Houzenga of |
In response to strong public interest, the State Historical Library is extending a display of two historic documents written by President Abraham Lincoln.
Originally slated to be on display one night only –
Monday, Feb. 11 – in conjunction with the Iowa Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial
Commission kickoff, the documents will be on display through Feb. 29 in the
The documents, written in 1859 and 1865, are part of the
State Historical Library’s Special Collections section. They are normally
kept in a highly secured storage area inside the
Following
are summaries of the two letters:
Abraham Lincoln letter to
Hawkins Taylor (
September 6, 1859
In this
letter to a prominent Iowa Republican,
Abraham Lincoln message to
Election Notification Committee
March 1, 1865
When a
special committee from the U.S. Congress informed
Some of
President Lincoln’s other ties to
Presidential Appointments –
Bridge at
Visit to
Harlan-Lincoln House,
Speech at
In 2007, Gov. Chet Culver signed House File 826
establishing the IALBC. All 50 states have joined the national Abraham
Lincoln Bicentennial Commission in planning, coordinating and administering
activities and programs during the next two years that commemorate the
bicentennial of the birth of President Lincoln, who was born Feb. 12, 1809 in
Iowans
are encouraged to contact IALBC at www.IowaLincoln200.org for more
information about planning programs and activities at the local level that
commemorate the bicentennial of
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Families, scouts, Civil War re-enactors, and other
organized groups are making the State Historical Society of Iowa Reading
Room their destination spot this February due to the public display of
President Abraham Lincoln’s letters. Although People looked not just at the |
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Staff welcomed these new-to-the-library visitors and hopes the treasure trove of materials and information housed within the Library and Archives will warrant repeat visits.
“A frequent comment was that they didn’t even know the library was here,” said Librarian Susan Jellinger. “Many people wandered farther into the library, browsing areas of books and looking through magazines. We didn’t get much else done, but what an opportunity to show off our resources!”
The State Historical Library is open Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Call (515) 281-6200 for information.
Western Historic Trails Center Tour Guide Saundra
Leininger will present “Shady Ladies of the West” at 2 p.m. Saturday, March
15 at the
Many women in the Old West turned to prostitution as a means of supporting themselves after losing their husbands to war or exploration. Others were daughters of prostitutes who grew up in the brothels and knew little else.
Though it was hard for “proper” women to admit, brothels served at least one purpose: to distract the attention of men from pursuing their daughters.
The program is free and open to the public. Call (712) 366-4900 for more information.
The discarded signature of a U.S. Senator inspired the
Historical Society’s first curator to amass a premier collection of autograph
documents and photos from notable people in politics, social reform, fine
arts and science. More than 150 years later, the public is still able to
marvel at the signatures of people like Thomas Edison and Queen
Before assuming his position as first Curator of the
Iowa State Historical Department (now the State Historical Society of Iowa),
Charles Aldrich was an influential newspaper owner. It was a lifelong hobby
of autograph collecting, however, that would lead him to his ultimate role in
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In 1884, having recently served as state
representative from SHSI continues to preserve the Aldrich Autograph Collection with its handwritten specimens of such noted figures as Edgar Allan Poe, Louis Pasteur, Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln and Queen Victoria. Pieces range from solitary signatures to complete letters, from signed |
Photo of Charles Aldrich, appropriately
autographed. |
photographs to samples of authored works, including a page from Charles Darwin’s manuscript for Origin of the Species and a version of O Captain! My Captain! prepared specially for the collection by Walt Whitman.
Selected autographs (or facsimiles) can be requested for viewing in the State Historical Building Reading Room, 600 E. Locust, during its regular hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Advance requests for materials must be placed by noon the preceding Friday for viewing on Saturdays.
March is Youth Art Month
The
Movies at the Museum Presents
“Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme”
March 6, 7 p.m. & March 9, 2
p.m., $5 on www.iowatix.com or at the
door
State
Historical Building, 600 E. Locust,
Explosively
documenting the story of a group of underground hip-hop MCs and DJs from the
early 1980s to the present day, Freestyle:
The Art of Rhyme explores the world of improvisational rap. Bring a
donation for the Food Bank of
History for Lunch
March 12, 12-1 p.m., Free
State Historical
Library,
“Opening
the West to Aviation: The Iowa City Municipal Airport 1918-2007” will be the
topic presented by Jan Nash of Tallgrass Historians. Call (319) 335-3916 for
more information.
“Shady Ladies of the West”
March 15, 2 p.m.
Western
Historic
Living History Saturdays
March 15, 12-3 p.m.
State
Historical Building, 600 E. Locust,
Members
of the 15th Iowa Civil War Re-Enactment group will be in uniform
to drill and interact with the public.
Irish Fest
March 17, 1-4 p.m.
State
Historical Building, 600 E. Locust,
Follows
the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade through downtown
“The Mormon Trail Revisited”
March 28, 7 p.m.
Western Historic
Gregory M. Franzwa will discuss his book, The Mormon
Trail Revisited, which directs present-day motorists along or near the
trail used in1846-47. The presentation includes slides and a book signing.
(712) 366-4900.
Disaster Recovery Workshop
March 31, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
State
Historical Building, 600 E. Locust,
See
related article.
The State Historical Library & Archives is
celebrating Black History Month with an exhibit of collections holdings
pertaining to the family of Martha “Patsey” Triplett, an early African Am
The presence of an African Am
The exhibit tells how the Tripletts moved in April 1839
with the family of Indian agent
In 1848, Triplett purchased two lots in the town of
A variety of SHSI holdings were used to create the exhibit: the original township survey plat that includes the location of the Sauk and Fox Indian Agency; numerous public records; a newspaper article; grave registrations and other sources containing information about Triplett family members from ca.1800 to 1906.
State Historical Society of Iowa Reading Room hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. The exhibit will be on display through March.
The year 1896 was not just when
“A Service of Silver: Tribute to the USS Iowa” will once again shine at the
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At the time the USS Iowa was commissioned, it was
customary to present a silver service to be used aboard the ship on special
occasions, and it was a tradition for states to provide a silver service to
ships named after them. The firm of J. E. Caldwell and Co. in |
This massive collection of sterling silver includes
common nautical and national symbols of dolphins, the Navy Department seal,
sea shells and eagles with outstretched wings. To make the service truly
representative of
On the platters are the sayings: “
The silver has served on the USS Iowa BB4 (1897-1923), the USS Iowa BB61 (1947-1949; 1953-1958; and 1984-1990), the cruiser USS Des Moines CA 134 (1948-1953). From 1990-1992, the silver service was placed on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln.
“A Service of Silver: Tribute to USS Iowa” will be
located on the third floor of the
The Iowa Museum Association,
Museum personnel are encouraged to attend this workshop to hear discussion on these topics:
- How to put a written
disaster/emergency plan into action;
- Determine if this event is
really a disaster;
- Determine who will be in
charge at any given time;
- How to protect collections
from further disasters;
- How to work with the media;
and more.
Fees for the workshop are $75 for IMA members, Historic Preservation Commissioners and Government Emergency Managers/Staff; and $90 for others. The fee includes lunch. Registration deadline is March 21. Download registration form by visiting the IMA Web site or e-mail Cynthia Sweet at imasweet@cfu.net.
State Historical Society of Iowa State Curator Jerome
Thompson will present “Two Sheets of Paper, One BIG Idea” Sunday, March 30 at
2 p.m. at the
Thompson will discuss the “Morrill Act of 1862,”
considered by many to be one of the most important legislative documents in
Am
The exhibition, “The Morrill Act of July 2, 1862: The Land-Grant Act and the People’s College,” will open March 22 at the Christian Petersen Art Museum, 1017 Morrill Hall, ISU campus. The exhibition will consist of historical artistic objects, quotes, timelines, illustrations, maps and photographs that explore the correlation of events and history that led to the transformation and evolution of ISU. The exhibition is on loan from the National Archives and Records Administration.
Other programs and presentations in conjunction with the exhibition will be held throughout the month of April until the exhibition closes April 27. Visit the Christian Petersen Art Museum Web page for additional information.
Based on a
national audience survey of 5,500 museum-going families, Reach Advisors, a
marketing strategy and research firm based in
If the visit
involved a grandparent, a male parent, or an elementary-school aged child,
attendance at historic sites by families increased significantly. And while
we’ve typically thought that interest in historic sites grew with educational
level, their research shows that it peaks with “some college” and then
declines with increased education.
In their
survey, Reach Advisors asked what other types of museums parents and
grandparents like to visit with their families, which gave us some insight on
why they visit other museums, when they visit in the life stage of their
family, and how museum-going behavior shifts among different racial and
socio-economic groups.
Read more about this trend by clicking here.
The public is invited to submit proposals for papers to present at the 2008 Conference of the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy scheduled for Sept. 18-21. The theme of the conference, “Frank Lloyd Wright and the Roots of Sustainability,” will explore Wright’s life-long connection with nature and the relationship of this many innovative ideas to today’s worldwide interest with sustainable architectural principles.
While it is more than likely that Frank Lloyd Wright never uttered the word “sustainable” in grounding his work in nature, and in the intensity and thoroughness that he brought to bear upon his commissions, Wright frequently arrived at solutions of a sustainable nature that seem remarkably relevant today.
Proposals are requested for:
General session presentations will be limited to 20 minutes plus 10 minutes for questions. Speakers should plan to show no more than 20 images (as singles or pairs); or
Individuals wishing to lead focus sessions are encouraged to focus on case studies of work by Wright, with particular emphasis on conservation strategies. Focus sessions will be one hour in length and include audience participation; they may include several examples related to a central topic.
Proposals should be in the form of abstracts (no more than one or two pages) that outline the theme and development of the presentation. They must be accompanied by a one-page curriculum vitae and all contact information, including full name, affiliation, mailing address, e-mail address, telephone and fax numbers. Please specify audiovisual needs. Consent to videotape and/or publish the presentation (for accepted proposals) should also be granted.
Proposals must be received by Monday, March 24. Notification will be sent by Friday, April 11. For more information, visit www.savewright.org.
The Library of Congress and the
Small tax-exempt non-profit organizations must now file
a short electronic form called Form 990-N with the IRS. Form 990-N, also
called the E-postcard, is a short electronic form that most small, tax-exempt
organizations with 501(c)(3) status have to file with the IRS, starting in
2008 for activities since January 1, 2007.
If your organization has gross receipts of less than $25,000 and is not
required to file another IRS form such as Form 990 or From 990-EZ, you must
file the Form 990-N.
Form 990-N must be filed every year by the 15th day of the 5th month after
your nonprofit’s fiscal year ends. For example if your calendar ends on
December 31, you must file by May 15 the following year. If your
calendar year ends on June 30 you must file by November 15.
The IRS requires that the E-postcard be filed electronically. There is no
paper form. You must file via the Internet, but no software or download is
required.
If your nonprofit organization fails to file the E-postcard for three
consecutive years, the IRS will revoke your tax-exempt status. Consult
your tax preparer for more information on how to properly fulfill this
requirement. For more information please visit the IRS Web site http://www.irs.gov/charities/.