Shooting the Waverly Carnegie Library

... at least what's left of it. Waverly built a new library a while back and the only thing left of the Carnegie library is this cornerstone. The building that it's attached to is a large, boxy commercial building; not really what we came to see but it is what we found so I submit it for your consideration.

Shooting the Black Hawk County Courthouse

Waterloo is the county seat of Black Hawk County and this is their courthouse. It's located in an area that took a guide familiar with the city to locate. Being a more modern struture, the standard clock tower found atop older courthouses is not there.

Shooting a Waterloo Carnegie Library

Yes, this a Carnegie library building found in Waterloo, not the Carnegie library building. Waterloo is one of two communities in Iowa that were able to secure funding for a main library and a branch. This one now houses the offices for a few city departments so it's still serving the community. We didn't realize that there were two until a week or so later so we'll have to go back some time to find the other.

Stepping inside the Blackhawk Hotel

Cedar Falls has recently done significant work to revitalizate their downtown. The restoration of the Blackhawk Hotel has been recognized by the community and put the hotel on the list of 100 Places. Linda and I stepped inside the lobby and got a sense of what it may have been like to have stood on that spot fifty years prior. The woodwork was gave a warm feel to the space. Leaded glass in the doors added a simple elegance. From the lobby, you can pass to the neighboring barbershop or martini bar without stepping outdoors. It looks like a comfortable, cozy place right at the hub of the Cedar Falls scene.

Checking out a couple of the sights in Waverly

On the courthouse grounds, Linda and I ran across this patriotic park bench dedicaterd to the memory of Don McKenzie. The distinctive design of this memorial bench really caught my eye. The use of the slats in the back of the bench as stripes of the flag was pretty clever. I was unable to find any further information about Mr. McKenzie.


Across the street from the cornerstone of the former Waverly Public Library, we saw Jimmy's Station Museum; a cleaner than usual version of the classic corner gas station. We didn't go over and poke around but could appreciate the overall look of the place and care that had been taken to keep things clean and orderly. It's a nice feature.

Shooting the Bremer County Courthouse

Waverly is the county seat of Bremer County and this is their courthouse. Located along the main east-west highway through town, this courthouse was easy to find situated on nice grounds. As you may see, there's another Statue of Liberty featured in the foreground at this courthouse.

Visiting Strawberry Point

If you ever see Iowa tourism material, odds are good you've seen either Albert the Bull or the strawberry at Strawberry Point. Being in the area and looking for a gas station, Linda and I tooled on up the road. After topping off the gas, I took the short stroll over to city hall and got this shot of what is generally considered the largest strawberry sculpture on display in these United States. This handsome tribute to the tasty fruit is fifteen feet tall, made of fiberglass, and dedicated some time in the 1960s. Worth a pause to appreciate, I'd say.

Visiting Backbone State Park

Wow! Another of the 100 Places in Iowa, Backbone State Park is an amazingly different piece of Iowa. Our oldest state park, Backbone features a narrow ridge of stone that drops sharply to the river below. As Linda and I were climbing around, I was a little more cautious than usual because of the severity of the drop. The image in the upper left shows Linda ahead of me on the trail; in that image, Linda has just passed a point where the ridge is effectively no wider than the path. In the image on the right, you can see the river and trees below. Reading from the Wikipedia entry, I learned that this area is part of the Driftless Area, unaffected by glaciers in the last Ice Age. It's a very interesting place to visit.

Shooting the Manchester Carnegie Library

Much like their courthouse, the library in Manchester is an attractive building. Linda and I stepped inside and were impressed by how well they'd blended the addition with the original building. The new space probably more than doubled the capacity of the library without changing the welcome feeling; very nicely done. One thing that was a bit disappointing was that the entrance in the picture is apparently no longer used. The staircases up and down from this entrance are beautiful blonde wood now out of side to most of the public. That said, the library was active and clearly serving the community well.

Shooting the Delaware County Courthouse

Manchester is the county seat of Delaware County and this is their courthouse. Looking at the Wikipedia entry for the county, I found the following and have to wonder about the rest of the story.

It was named in honor of Delaware Senator John M. Clayton, who also has another Iowa county, Clayton County, named in his honor.

Clayton and Delaware county share a common border but I really haven't seen why this part of the state chose to honor the Senator and Secretary of State from Delaware and his state by taking their name.

Setting aside the county name curiosity for a moment, this is truly a beautiful building.

Shooting the Linn County Courthouse

Cedar Rapids is the county seat of Linn County and this is their courthouse. Located on Mays Island in the middle of the Cedar River, it's not too hard to find but parking is rather limited. There appears to be underground parking between the courthouse and city hall but Linda and I didn't go exploring to that depth.

Capturing a couple of interesting buildings in Cedar Rapids

The Veterans Memorial Building is quite striking, towering above two of the main roads across the Cedar River. Located on Mays Island, this building is also City Hall. The flame at the top reminded me of the torch on the Statue of Liberty. Below the torch, the row of columns also clearly says municipal building.

I believe that I've heard that the window in the arch at street level is quite impressive from inside. Unfortunately, it wasn't open to get to see it for myself to that will have to wait for another day.

Located a couple of blocks from City Hall is the bank formerly known as Peoples Savings Bank. The second of Louis Sullivan's eight jewel box banks stands as a nice reminder of another time. The original structure used fifteen different shades of brick to create a visual texture with "the effect of an antique Oriental rug." The terra cotta details on the exterior are really quite intricate and beautiful. Click here to see images from the restored interior.

Checking out the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena

Linda and I have been wanting to see some of the other USHL venues and, being in Cedar Rapids, we stopped in to see them play. When we walked into the arena, the flashing green lights on the police officer's glasses were pretty amusing. The number eight Budweiser car Dale Earnhardt Junior drove at Martinsville in the spring was on display and attracted a decent crowd.

Very early in the first period, the referee took a shot from the puck or stick that drew blood under his left eye. There was a significant stoppage as medical staff worked to get the bleeding stopped so that play could continue. Soon, the game was back on but we checked from time to time.

The game went well and the home RoughRiders got off to a good start against the Ohio Junior Blue Jackets. The RoughRiders won four to three but the game was in doubt as the final minutes were winding down. One of the Cedar Rapids traditions is to rattle their cow bells during the last minute of each period; that's some kinda racket!

It was fun to see a new arena and see a good game to boot!

Trying the Ribs at Al and Irene's

Linda and I pulled up in front of Al and Irene's and trusted the list of 100 Things You Must Eat In Iowa. Located a bit off the beaten path and without much exterior promotion, the place looked a little sketchy. When we walked inside, we still had concerns that we were in the right place. Half of the tables still had upside down chairs on them, apparently from close the night before. There were a dozen or so people in the booths and tables set up for customers but Linda observed none of them had food or drink. Nobody came to seat us so we made our way to a booth on the far wall. Soon a waitress, probably Irene, brought menus and shortly returned to take our order. We each ordered ribs and I got the cole slaw and potato salad sides.

As you can probably make out from the impressionist photo (sorry about the blurry image,) a very nice pile of meaty, tasty ribs was soon set before me. About half way through, Linda and I were both grateful we'd chosen the mild sauce. At first, we'd only been aware of the sweetness; as time went on, a little zing had begun to work it's way into the flavor. Not so much as to be uncomfortable but as much as we were really looking for tonight. I'd certainly go back to Al and Irene's.

Shooting the Buchanan County Courthouse

Independence is the county seat of Buchanan County and this is their courthouse... and miniature Statue of Liberty. As Linda and I drove up to the courthouse to find a good angle to shoot, I realized, with a laugh, I'd already shot this courthouse!

On the way home from Wisconsin a few weeks ago, Linda and I had passed through Independence and I was just getting started shooting the courthouses. As we were preparing for this road trip, I'd not really checked to see if we'd seen this one yet. I hadn't published the photo because it was night and the shot was kind of fuzzy but I've got one. Now, I've got a better one.

Shooting the Vinton Carnegie Library

This attractive building is the Carnegie library in Vinton. The trees in the front do obscure the facade but are surely appreciated in the heat of summer.

Linda and I stepped inside to see if this design differed significantly from others we'd encountered. It was very nicely maintained and ordered inside. A few people were in the various quadrants of the library, reading or working with computers. The magazine and periodical section, empty at the moment, looked very comfortable and inviting.

Having been in a few of these libraries now, I've built sense of the design idea that has been consistent throughout. They're not spaces with strict order and regimen and rows and rows of shelves you slip between; rather a place to quietly experience books, with walls lined with shelves open to all, with comfortable chairs and open, lit spaces. Very nice.

Shooting the Benton County Courthouse

Vinton is the county seat of Benton County and this is their courthouse. This handsome courthouse is located near the center of a very well maintained historic business district bustling with activity as we passed through. I'd never been to Vincent and was very impressed with how well maintained things appeared and how much of the old mainstreet look and feel had been preserved while interiors were clearly updated with varied and active businesses.

Pausing at the Preston Station

Driving east out of Tama, Linda asked if I'd ever been to Belle Plaine. When I said I hadn't, she said she had something to show me. We followed the signs and were soon cruising into town. As we swept around the long arc of the highway, she pointed and said "There it is!"

It's the kind of place my Mom probably wondered if Dad, left to his own choices, might have made. Once a gas station, the Preston Station is now a landmark and museum along the Lincoln Highway. As you can see, the exterior has been pretty well covered with various signs from the times. The interior is every bit as plastered with great memorabilia of years gone by. Ron Preston, son of George, came out to show us his father's station and some some of the particulary nice pieces he'd accumulated. One of the prized items was a photo from George visiting with Johnny Carson, March 21, 1990, on the Tonight Show.

Next door to the station in the photo is another building, every bit as covered in signs, that houses several other items too large to fit in the station itself. Ron opened the doors to show us a few of them. It was quite a treat to get the tour and hear a few of the tales.

Stumbling onto "The Main Street Across America"

Following our noses south out of Toledo, Linda and I found ourselves in the twin community of Tama looking for their Carnegie library. The address I had turned out to be their current library so that was a bust but ...

Out front of the new library was the concrete post you can see in the image in the lower left. The medallion embedded in the concrete is captured in the center image; the inscription reads "This highway dedicated to Abraham Lincoln." Curiouser and curiouser. As we left the library, I saw an oddly painted telephone pole (wonder how much longer we'll be calling them that!) It had the same red, white, and blue striping as on the side of the concrete post and the same blue 'L' on the white. Having run into a similar use of poles with the White Pole Road, we had a clue.

We stayed on the street with the pole and soon came across the very unique concrete bridge shown in the upper and lower images. The side rails were formed to spell out "Lincoln Highway." Nearby was a plaque with the following inscription:

The Historic "Lincoln Highway" Bridge

This bridge, constructed in 1915, was an early advertisement for the Lincoln Highway, which was the first successful effort to mark, promote, and build an automobile highway spanning the United States. Initiated in 1913 as a memorial to the martyred president, the Lincoln Highway linked Iowa to both coasts and crossed the state by way of Tama. Motorists today can travel the original route through the city by following signs that begin at the bridge and continue west on 5th Street. Guard rails spelling out the name on both sides make this a unique bridge on the Lincoln Highway. On March 30, 1978, the briedge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and community donations paid for its restoration in 1987. It stands as a dramatic reminder of a time when few roads were paved and the campaign to "Get out of the mud" had just begun.

We'd stumbled across the Lincoln Highway! Another nice find!

Shooting the Tama County Courthouse

Toledo is the county seat of Tama County and this is their courthouse. Located in the square at the center of the business district, it's atop a hill a couple blocks off the main highway north through town. The grounds are well tended and an interesting bandstand type stage is prominent on the east side. I'm guessing that certain ceremonial functions may be performed atop that structure.