H I S T O R I A N - State Historical Society of Iowa

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DEAR READERS...by Sarah Oltrogge, editorThe image of the American flag and what itstands for have renewed a sense of pride in thoseof us who live in this country. It seems that almostovernight, every home is flying the colors, storescan’t keep flags stocked, and, perhaps most importantly,Americans have come together to stand behindit.SARAHThe American flag, as we know it today, wasn’t OLTROGGEalways a symbol of one nation indivisible. In February,the State Historical Society of Iowa will open an exhibit, Honorthe Colors, which will feature battle flags of Iowa infantry unitsduring the Civil War, a time when the United States was very muchdivided.As we look back 140 years, we hope that those who come to theState Historical Building will remember the struggles that served tomake our nation stronger. Somewhere sewn into the tattered, bulletriddledfabric of faded red, white and blue lie the stories of heroes.We might remember the soldier targeted by the opposition onlybecause he carried his unit’s flag. Historical records show that asmany as four men might have died carrying a particular flag representingtheir infantry unit. The flags on display, gunpowder stillapparent on the threads, it’s easy to see what it means to “honor thecolors.”History may not be repeating itself, but we can certainly lookback to see how far we’ve come. The Civil War taught us nothing ifnot the value of taking pride in our country and respecting everysingle person within its borders.Honor the Colors will let the men of Iowa who served in the CivilWar tell who they were, how they were equipped and how they feltabout the flags they followed into battle. The exhibit will featureoriginal equipment, period prints and paintings and uniforms. Morethan that, though, Honor the Colors reinforces what we’ve alwayssomehow known to be true: the American spirit is still very muchalive.IOWAHISTORIANis published bimonthly as a benefitfor members of theState Historical Society of IowaSociety Board of TrusteesThomas Colbert, MarshalltownTherese (Teri) Goodman, DubuqueGalen Jackson, Rock RapidsGail Sands, Cedar FallsTerri McMurtry-Chubb,Des MoinesRosalyn Middleton, WaterlooRobert Neymeyer, ParkersburgWalter W. Pyper, Council BluffsDorothy Schwieder, AmesJoseph Walt, IndianolaPeggy Whitworth, Cedar RapidsSarah OltroggeNewsletter EditorPhone: 515-281-4011Iowa HistorianTo help Iowanscomprehend who they are andwhat they can become, theState Historical Society of Iowaserves as a trustee of Iowa’shistorical legacy and anadvocate for understandingIowa’s past.The mission of theIowa Historical Foundationis to raise funds to support theState Historical Society of Iowaand its programs,to preserve Iowa’s heritage andto educate Iowa citizensso that they know andappreciate that heritage.www.iowahistory.orgIowa Historical FoundationChairmanJohn Merriman, CliveBoard of DirectorsHal Chase, Des MoinesMeg Courter, Des MoinesJim Foster, Des MoinesHoward Gregory, Des MoinesLuther L. Hill Jr., Des MoinesFred Lorber, Des MoinesSen. Gene Maddox, ClivePaul J. Meginnis II, Des MoinesRosalyn Middleton, WaterlooTom Morain, LamoniLiz Neumann, Des MoinesRobert Neymeyer, ParkersburgWilliam Peverill, Des MoinesLeRoy Pratt, Des MoinesGary Reiners, Des MoinesMary Ann Zug, Des Moines© 2001 SHSI,a division of theDepartmentofCultural Affairs2The Iowa Historiannewsletter to beprinted quarterlyThe Iowa Historian will subsequently be published quarterlyin response to staffing changes and budget cuts within theState Historical Society of Iowa and the Department of CulturalAffairs.The Iowa Historian will be printed in January, April, July andOctober. Deadlines for submissions will be Dec. 1, March 1, June1 and Sept. 1. The Historian also encourages guest editorials, tobe featured for the “In Your Words” column. Guest writers mustsubmit their editorials by the deadline in order to be consideredand essays must be no longer than 500 words in length. Eachsubject must deal with some aspect of Iowa history–historic preservationefforts, local historical society efforts, or how HistoricalSociety grants have helped a community. Columns can be sentto: The Iowa Historian, c/o Sarah Oltrogge, 600 E. Locust, DesMoines, IA 50319.The Historical Society will continue to update its Web site,www.iowahistory.org, with the latest information and calendar ofevents.If you’ve got a story idea that sounds good for the newsletter,or for general information about Historical Society events, pleasecontact Sarah Oltrogge, newsletter editor, at (515) 281-4011 orSarah.Oltrogge@dca.state.ia.us.Architectural historianjoins staffThe State Historical Society of Iowa has hired JackC. Porter as a historical program specialist.In his position, Porter will advise people and agenciesabout places of architectural significance andreview grant project activities. He will also help todetermine eligibility for properties for the NationalRegister of Historic Places and provide technical assistanceto people who seek to list properties on theNational Register.“I am very excited to join the Historical Society,”Porter said. “I have been active in efforts to save our communities’historic and architectural resources for many years. Now I have theopportunity to work with other hard-working and dedicated professionalswho are on the front lines of this historic preservationbattle.”Porter received his bachelor of arts degree from Iowa State Universityin 1969, and his masters in architecture from Iowa StateUniversity in 1975. He may be reached at (515) 242-6152.About the CoverJack C.PorterThis photo was taken around 1940 of two boys at Black Oak, No.6 rural school. It highlights this issue’s article on flags, particularlyCivil War battle flags being prepared for the exhibit Honor the Colors,opening in February at the State Historical Building.November/December 2001
Historical Society invites nominations for Awardsfor Excellence in History 2002Great things are happening in Iowa history and the State HistoricalSociety of Iowa is looking to honor those who have made outstandingcontributions to the study and practice of Iowa history.The Historical Society is currently seeking nominations recognizingexemplary Iowa projects.Loren Horton Community History AwardThis award recognizes the best project that increases awarenessand participation in Iowa history on a local level. The 2002 awardwill recognize an individual, group or organization whose outstandinglocal history project was completed during calendar year 2001.Nominated projects may incorporate any or all of the following:• Outstanding program or event• Outstanding use of volunteers• Outstanding project related to a museum, library, archives,historic preservation or education activity• Outstanding research or publication• Outstanding youth projectOne Loren Horton Community History Award is given annually.In addition to the overall award, one Certificate of Recognition maybe presented in each of the five categories listed.For more information on criteria and submitting nominations, contactKathy Gourley at (515) 281-6913; Kathy.Gourley@dca.state.ia.us.Petersen/Harlan AwardIowa HistorianHonor the Colors gives the personalaccounts of Iowans in the Civil WarWhen the Honor the Colors: Iowa’s Civil War Battle Flags exhibitopens at the State Historical Building in late February, Iowanswill have a chance to see a side of the Civil War that hasn’t beenbrought to light in 140 years.The exhibit is composed of two parts. The first is the people whoput a face on the war, and who died for it and the second is the battleflags of Iowa companies and regiments.“We’re interested in some of their experiences,” said State HistoricalSociety of Iowa curator Bill Johnson. “For instance, if youwere wounded, it was horrendous.” The exhibit will show a prostheticleg, as it was likely a soldier shot in the arm or leg wouldrequire surgery to remove the limb.But Honor the Colors will go beyond common knowledge aboutwar–being the artillery, the battles and the fight against slavery–towhat kinds of foods soldiers were given to eat, such as rations ofbiscuits and salt pork, Johnson said.“It was a sparse life, but if you go back to that day, these peopledidn’t have a lot of creature comforts, so it wouldn’t be like today,”he said.There are even some artifacts belonging to John Brown that willbe on display. Brown’s actions in Kansas and Missouri, as well ashis unbridled crusade against slavery, helped spark the Civil War.And it was Iowans who fought alongside their neighbors in companiesidentified by the towns they lived in, often traveling as farsouth as Florida or Louisiana.“It was amazing,” Johnson said. “These men would march thousandsof miles for their duty.”3Each piece in the exhibit will have a small biography of the personwho owned it.“Many of these fellows are going to be very obscure, while othersobtained national prominence,” Johnson said. “This was a na-continued on page 7Soldiers’ papers tell the realstory of the Civil War“July 23: 1864: When we first came here we had very strictorders about Jayhawking we were not alowed to take any thingno matter whether owner was there or not, but now the boys goout and bring in beef pork chickins apples and vegitables of allkinds we live a little better living now but our rations of breadis rather small it being one small loaf per day, it is all mostimpossible to keep the boys from taking what they want whenthey only have 1/3 rations, and then it goes against the grain toguard rebel property.”So reads the journal of George C. Bradway, Company F, 44thIowa Volunteer Infantry. Bradway was a 100-day man who wasn’tafraid to tell what life was really like on the front lines of the CivilWar. The Bradway papers are available for public viewing at theState Historical Library in Des Moines. Many others like themare also available at the Historical Library in Iowa City.continued on page 7This award recognizes an individual, group or organization thathas made significant long-term or continuing contributions to Iowahistory.Nominees shall have contributed a body of work advancing thepreservation and interpretation of Iowa history. Each body of workwill be evaluated for significance, professionalism and influence onIowans’ perceptions of themselves.The public may nominate entries for the Petersen/Harlan Awardby mail. Nominations must be postmarked by Feb. 1, 2002.For more information on the Petersen/Harlan Award, contactKathy Gourley at (515) 281-6913; Kathy.Gourley@dca.state.ia.us.Benjamin F. Shambaugh AwardThis award recognizes the book judged as the most significantbook on Iowa history published during the preceding year.Each nominated book will be evaluated on the following, equallyweighted criteria: Its contribution to knowledge about Iowa history;scholarship; readability and appropriateness for the intendedaudience.The public may nominate entries for the Shambaugh Award bymail. Only one Shambaugh Award is given each year. In addition,two Certificates of Recognition may be awarded.For more information on the Benjamin F. Shambaugh Award, con-continued on page 6November/December 2001
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