Mae, Anna, Loren, and little Eva were just four of the 45 victims in a deadly train crash four and a half miles north of Green Mountain in March 1910. Descriptions at the scene of the tragedy were gruesome.
“As usual, this year’s class was the best in history.” The newspaper reporter who covered the Centerville High School class of 1896 must have been a cantankerous, but seasoned writer. And he certainly had attended more graduation ceremonies than he cared to in his lifetime.
How did Barnum & Bailey Circus performers prepare for a show when they came to Marshalltown in 1913? A fishing trip to Stanley Mill, an automobile trip to Albion for dinner, and a Mulligan down by the Iowa River.
“The Rural School Problem,” “Rural Schools Ought to Be Abandoned,” “What to Do With Small Schools” — In some ways news headlines in the 20th century were not much different than those of the 21st century. Education issues were hot news items.
The weekly column “Iowa Stories,” a collection of stories about notable events in Iowa’s history by Cheryl Mullenbach, has joined the list of regular IowaWatch.org offerings.
