I mentioned in my last article the we should revive this blog. Max Reed
informed me that is was still up and running, just not real active.
Let's see if we can reactivate it. Send an e-mail to anyone you think
might be interest in Marcus and encourage them to start posting their
thoughts, events,etc. here for all to see.
We have a new look for 2013, also simplified commenting. No more threaded discussions. give it a try.
ReplyDeleteI like the new look. Arlene
DeleteI am looking for information on any of the following owners of the house owned by the Engebretson’s at 400 E Spruce in Marcus. If you have any stories about this property I would like to hear those also.
ReplyDeleteIn 1884 it appears the three lots the home sits on were owned by two families, with most likely two houses occupying these lots, T T Wright and Daniel Fritz. T T Wright willed their property to Orville Wright in 1887. Then transferred to C M Wixel. Still in 1887 Wixel transferred all three lots to E J Edmunds. E J died sometime around 1908, I couldn't find any actual date for the building the house-it had to be at the turn of the century, the old postcards show picture of it in 1906. E J's wife lived there and son Ira had title after she passed.
Owners next were; William Gifford 1926 to Lonnie Northern 1927 also Arthur Roberts 1927, It appears in late 1927 that A I Birch got title to the place, Birch had it until 1933-34 when it was transferred to Stanbrough. Stanbrough owned the home until 1945 when Ed and Florence Evans bought it. At one time Evans had rented the place to Lowell Nelson and he operated his funeral business out of it.
Ed Evans converted the home to apartments, two upstairs and the ground floor one large living quarters. Many folks still living in Marcus started their early married years in the apartments, we have heard many stories from various folks.
Sometime in the later 40's early 50"s the house was struck by lightning and some of the roof was destroyed.
Arlene Hollenbeck
In 1958 Ed & Florence Evans lived in this house with their son Kirk. Lucy Yoshioka, the school's music teacher lived in an apartment upstairs. Florence & a friend changed the color of my hair from blond to black so that I could play a Spaniard in the class play that year. And while Kirk was showing me his dad's shotgun he came very close to shooting me. Sitting on the bed in the master bedroom while I stood next to him, he pumped the gun and, not thinking it could be loaded, pulled the trigger. Left a gouge in the edge of the oak floor about the size of a silver dollar. And I got the hell out of there in a hurry!
DeleteThanks Don for the story. Arlene
DeleteI'm looking for information about the grove that was located south of the Trinity Lutheran parsonage south of Marcus. I have heard the Church held gatherings there such as picnics years ago. The grove was bulldozed out this Spring.
ReplyDeleteTo the Marcus Community and Surrounding Area:
ReplyDeleteThe Marcus Historical Society raised from donations and grants $155, thousand since August of 2011, for the construction of a new building and the moving of the Reed Center to
the Marcus Fair Grounds Village site. Our cost estimates were low on the construction of the building and move of the Reed Center. Because of this, we are again asking the community and area business for help in raising the money needed to complete this project. Marcus is a prosperous community and able to support this endeavor. If you wish to see our progress, you may call for a tour of our new building by contacting Sherree Ogren or Jim Nielsen.
We estimate we will be short approximately $70 thousand dollars to finish this building and move the Reed Center to the new location near the new building.
The outside of the new building is complete except for the old-time store fronts. The Marcus Fair Board will do the landscaping with flowers and shrubs and walking paths will be made to and around the building.
The inside of the building is complete except for the finishing of the bathroom, movable partitions need to be constructed and the cement floor covered.
The Marcus Fair board will provide a restored fair ticket booth with a DVD player showing old fair footage. Another corner will be a RR depot display. Another will be memorabilia of Dr. Joint, including his 1929 Ford car. Memorabilia displays for Marcus Churches, the fire department and Marcus soldiers will also be displayed among other collections. Artifacts we have not been able to display will be seen in the new building.
We are again applying for Grants and asking the community, (individuals and business) to continue with donations. This will be a beautiful asset to Marcus and the Marcus Fair. We hope to have this project completed by fair time in August of this year, 2013.
Thank you for your time in considering this project for a donation, which may be sent to the address below or given to any of the people listed.
Marcus Historical Society
Box 321, Marcus, IA 51035
Society e-mail: gennote@hotmail.com
Contact Information: President, Sherree Ogren 712 376-4465, Vice President, Jim Nielsen, 712 376-4356, Secretary, Maxine Shea, 712 376-2301, Treasurer, Faith Specht 712 376-4448.
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Hi Don: Your comment about Lucy brought back some memories. For those who never met her you missed out on a great experience. She is a graduate of Morningside College. As Don noted she was a vocal music instructor in Marcus for a period of time. My mom and dad, Melvin and Margaret Dorr, got to know her well in that context. She remains a friend of the family to the present. She married Walt Buhler - a South Dakotan. He had a great career with Arthur Andersen & Co. which took the two of them all over the world. I had the wonderful opportunity, along with my parents, to visit Lucy and Walt in the late 70's while Walt was stationed as the Resident Partner for Andersen in Rio de Janerio. They couldn't have been more hospitable. Walt has passed, however he left a significant impact on the U. of South Dakota's Business School. Lucy is on the Board of Directors at Morningside, where the Buhler generosity continues. (As many likely know, our own Rich Waller is also on the board at Morningside, along with Lucy.) She lives in the state of Washington now but still has strong affection for her time in Marcus. My brother, Tom, saw her recently and had an opportunity to do some catching up. Tom noted that she is as warm and caring as was always the case. Yet another example of someone's connection with our town which left great memories and a lasting impression.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking for anyone who may have a photo of my Dad Larry Slagter playing Fast Pitch softball....pitching, batting I don't really care. Lots of good days at the ball diamond when I was growing up and I want to capture a photo of my dad having fun doing one of the things he loved most! Thanks for letting me post! Valerie Slagter Eickholt (uthawkfans@msn.com)
ReplyDeleteValerie,
DeleteMy dad, Brian Nelson, created a softball scrapbook some years ago. I won't say with 100% certainty, but I'd be willing to be there are some pictures in there of your dad.
Send me an email at bennelson1@gmail.com
I'll talk to him tonight and see if he can remember if there are any in there.
So glad to see this blog. Good memories of visits to Marcus. Marsha Marinello Heaston
ReplyDeleteDid anyone from back home go on RAGBRAI this year? I am trying to get some folks from down here in Arkansas lined up for RAGBRAI 2014!
ReplyDeleteBen Nelson
I drove support vehicle for the whole week. What a beautiful part of the state! Let me know if you need help for 2014.
DeleteWhat part of AR? We'll be visiting Eureka Springs & Hot Springs this winter.
How would all of you like to be part of a published book about life in and around Marcus. The Marcus Historical Society is looking for stories, 500-1000 words, of your life or experiences in the Marcus Community. If we can acquire enough stories, with pictures, to make a small book of about 150 pages, we will publish it and sell it as a fund raiser for the historical society. All stories must have a Marcus area connection.
ReplyDeleteNow I don’t want to hear the excuse that your not a writer. Everyone has a story of some kind to tell. A memory of school days, working in a store, sporting event, your former neighborhood, life as a farm kid, or townie. The, Who, What, When, Where and Why, type of story with details such as the weather, what you were wearing. etc., not so many details to be boring but enough to paint a picture and make the story interesting. We need 35-40 stories to consider publication.
Stories are to be e-mailed to me at aeh1026@gmail.com or sent to the Marcus Historical Society , Box 321, Marcus, Iowa 51035, along with 1 or 2 pictures of yourself at the time of the story or a picture connected to the story. A one paragraph biography of yourself also needs to be included. Example of a story layout is:
Title of Story ( The Old Wooden Water Tank) by Your name (Arlene Anderson Hollenbeck)
Body of your story; Which we reserve the right to edit for misspelled words, sentence structure, etc., without changing the story.
A one paragraph biography of yourself. Example;
Arlene Anderson Hollenbeck; I was raised on a Gund farm in Tilden Township and because I lived 2 miles closer to Grand Meadow than Marcus I attended and graduated for Grand Meadow school in 1958. Married Fred Hollenbeck January 1, 1960. I’m the Mother of 3, Grandmother of 2. I spent my employment years as a Telephone Operator, Home Health Aide, School Bus Driver and Dental Hygienist. Fred and I spent several years traveling the U.S.A in a motor home and we currently live in Cherokee, Iowa. I enjoy reading, writing, genealogy and visiting with family and friends.
If you have an idea for a story, let me know and we will see how many ideas for stories we can collect by the end of September. We may extend the time frame if we get a good response.
Arlene
Does anyone have access to this picture. I tried posting it into my browser and it told me that access was denied. It is the picture of The Marcus Fire Department and my dad, Boots Wallin is in the picture. My mom, Betty (88 and going strong), is going to paint a picture of things that my dad was involved with and I am looking for pics for her. I have a picture of the train he had in our yard, as well as the airplanes ... I am also looking for a picture of the welding shop down by the railroad tracks ... anyone??? Thank you so much. http://www.picsplace.to/5/0562/Fire_Department_1955_Marcus.jpg
ReplyDeleteBrenda: It looks like the picture you want was part of Kurt Dorr's private collection that he posted in 2004. You could contact him for a copy. The last email address I had for him is SONS7@aol.com.
ReplyDeleteBrenda, I remember your Dad well. He was our scoutmaster in the 50's. One spring he loaded us all in the school bus he drove during the school year and took us to northern Minnesota. I believe it was to a camp on Black Duck Lake. From there we traveled one day to International Falls and an old sawmill. Another day we fished for walleyes on Upper Red Lake. Lower Red Lake and the western half of Upper Red Lake were in the Indian reservation. So before we left we went to an Indian fish market on Lower Red Lake to buy a bunch of frozen walleyes to take home with us. Those were good days for us teenage boy scouts.
DeleteBrenda, I don't use that old email much anymore. Try reaching me at kurt.dorr@gmail.com. I can't remember where I have those pics but I will try to find them.
DeleteKurt
Thanks, Kurt. I sent you an email from my home address. I would really like to get that picture if you still have it! Thanks for the story of Boy Scouts, Don. I don't remember my Dad being a boy scout leader, but I do remember the bus he drove, as it was a fun "play fort" all summer long!
DeleteMarcus Historical Society Up Coming Events
ReplyDeleteby Arlene Hollenbeck
The Marcus Historical Society will once again present our Annual Cemetery Walk. A change has been made from our usual Saturday evening time to Sunday afternoon October 6, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. We will meet first at the Marcus/Amherst and Holy Name cemeteries to begin our presentation of family histories. Following the presentations at the cemeteries, we will move to the Methodist Church for more detailed histories. JR Pearson’s trolley, pulled by Rus Hansen’s tractor, will again be available to those wishing to ride around the cemetery. Meet the trolley at the Methodist Church parking lot.
We have five presenters this year with extensive family histories.
Phyllis Rapagnani will present the history of her parents Frank and Kathryn Delaney Burch and grandparents Michael Edward and Julia Carey Delaney.
Marsha Heaston will present the history of her grandparents Fred and Grace Knox and a long line of ancestors who have lived in Marcus. Names such as Nield, Jungers, Barwick, Miller, Pool, and Patton have connections to the Knox family.
Another presenter, Teresa Neff states, she and her family will present the history of their great grandparents Adam Pfeifer & Agatha Mary Umhoefer and their nine daughters who grew up in the Marcus and Maryhill area. The girls married into families with familiar Marcus names such as Wilberding, Dietz, Brady, Carey, Peppersack and finally, Wilhelmina to Floyd Simmons, their Grandparents.
Brenda Springer-Halseth has done extensive genealogy research of her ancestors and their descendants in the Marcus area. Over 350 descendants make up the family that is today the Family names of Kinzel, Springer, Prunty, Halseth, Kilvington, Smith, Miller, Ducommun, Davis, Carris, Goodrich, Sitzmann, Milner, Johnson, Birch, Childs, Hempel, Osterling, Williams, to name just a few. Brenda and Teresa Neff also have ancestral connections.
Some of our presenters are coming for a great distance to be a part of our Cemetery walk so let’s give them a big Marcus welcome by attending this event on Sunday October 6, 2013 at 2:00 p.m.
The day following the Cemetery Walk, October 7th at 9:30 a.m.; the Marcus Chamber Coffee will be held at our new building. A Ribbon-Cutting ceremony will be held at that time. We hope you will attend this event also.
On a further note, we are looking for stories, 500-1000 words, of your life or experiences in the Marcus Community. If we can acquire enough stories, with pictures, to make a small book of about 150 pages, we will publish it to be a fund-raiser for the historical society. All stories must have a Marcus area connection.
Everyone has a story of some kind to tell. A memory of school days, working in a store, a sporting event, your former neighborhood, life as a farm kid, or townie. The, Who, What, When, Where and Why, type of story with details such as the weather, what you were wearing. Etc., not so many details to be boring but enough to paint a picture and make the story interesting.
Stories are to be e-mailed to aeh1026@gmail.com or sent to the Marcus Historical Society, Box 321, Marcus, Iowa 51035, along with 1 or 2 pictures of yourself at the time of the story or a picture connected to the story. A one paragraph biography of yourself also needs to be included. We hope to have enough stories by Nov. 1st to begin the work of editing and organizing a book.
I have have a request from a man in Spencer that would like to speak to anyone who remembers Mary Ellen Kelly. He apparently has been a fan of her writings for several years and would like to write her story. Any suggestions as to who to contact that would have known her?
ReplyDeleteArlene
Stefan Beard taken in by Philip Dorr from Marcus Iowa
ReplyDeleteThis is a great story. Makes me proud to know someone from Marcus has a big enough heart to do this.
DeleteStefan has been invited to the USA vs. the World football game in Kuwait this summer.
ReplyDelete