“Off the Map: Stories of Abandoned & Disappearing Towns Around Iowa" at the German American Heritage Center -- June 12.
Sunday, June 12, 2 p.m.
German American Heritage Center, 712 West Second Street, Davenport IA
While many cities and towns in Iowa are thriving, and have always been, a number of them since the state's inception have been all but completely forgotten, and it's these communities that the German American Heritage Center will acknowledge when the Davenport venue hosts the in-person program Off the Map: Stories of Abandoned & Disappearing Towns Around Iowa, a June 12 event presented by Iowa State University graduate Rosa Snyder.
Thousands of towns and communities were established during Iowa’s pioneer and railroad era. In some instances, they were small towns built around the time of the height of a coal industry that just could not thrive while others supplemented the needs of the countless farmers, and still others were established for very different reasons. Many existed for a few years, some slowly faded away over time, and a few never existed except as “paper” towns. Regardless of why they originated or why they diminished, each community has its own unique story. Towns are truly windows to our past and have helped form the history of our state, and discovering and learning about them helps to keep their names and memories from oblivion. In Off the Map: Stories of Abandoned and Disappearing Towns Around Iowa, participants are invited to take a tour around Iowa by exploring a sampling of these idiosyncratic communities in photographs and stories.
Program presenter Rosa Snyder is a graduate of Iowa State University with degrees in child development, art education, and interior design, with additional history courses from Drake University and Iowa Wesleyan College. She taught art in Ames, Iowa, and worked as a design consultant and artist for the Meredith and Hearst Publishing Companies. In addition, she did design work for several area churches, commercial enterprises, and at private residences. After receiving an apprenticeship grant from the Iowa Arts Council, Snyder was hired as a state restoration painter, scaled 20-foot scaffolds in white bib overalls, and helped re-create the intricate designs hidden under layers of paint on the ceilings and walls of Iowa’s State Capitol. Snyder is the only woman in the history of the building hired for this position.
After her retirement, Snyder gave tours of the building to thousands of visitors, and later engaged as a “history detective” for the state and architectural firms who were restoring the building to its original grandeur. IPTV employed her as a researcher for their production of the video/DVD This Old Statehouse, which covers many aspects of its history and restoration. Snyder is also the author and publisher of 2005's unique souvenir book Glimpses of Iowa’s Capitol, and for the past several years, has been researching old towns – traveling around Iowa to explore these old sites, taking photographs, and interviewing people who still live in the area.
Off the Map: Stories of Abandoned and Disappearing Towns Around Iowa will be presented at the German American Heritage Center on June 12, participation in the 2 p.m. program is free, and more information is available by calling (563322-8844 and visiting GAHC.org.
