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North Iowa Times

Accurate replicas of 15th century Caravel ships used by Christopher Columbus on his Voyage of Discovery to America in 1492 will be dock at Lady Luck Marina at Marquette's riverfront June 19-25. The ships are open to the public for tours 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily; there is an admission fee.The fully-operational vessels were built by hand in Brazil. Light, fast and maneuverable, Caravel ships were the space shuttles of their time. The ships are owned and operated by the Columbus Foundation of the British Virgin Islands.

Preservation grant supports

plans for adaptive re-use of Art Center building

Replicas of Columbus' ships docked at Marquette

Katherine Ruff recently reopened the former Top Shelf grocery in McGregor, under a new name—By the Spoonful. Here Ruff poses next to a display where she plans to showcase recipes and the products that can be used to make them. (Photo by Caitlin Bittner)

By Trudy Balcom

The City of McGregor, the McGregor Historic Preservation Commission and the McGregor-Marquette Center for the Arts (MMCA) are collaborating on a project that potentially will have a major impact on downtown McGregor.

The city and the commission received a Certified Local Government (CLG) pre-development grant from the Iowa State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) in early March for $10,000.

“The SHPO grant is a great opportunity for the Art Center to be able to work with preservation professionals, said McGregor City Administrator Lynette Sander.

“The building is so prominent, with its location in the center of the Commercial Historic District that this rehabilitation project may spur additional property owners to undertake similar projects, This is a unique opportunity for our Historic Preservation Commission to help with a project that meets its planning objectives,” Sander said

The grant supports hiring an architect to draw up plans for the historically sensitive adaptive re-use of the 1863 First National Bank building in which the MMCA is located. MMCA is supplying $3,000 in matching funds for the project, and all participating organizations are providing in-kind assistance with volunteers and other costs.

A committee to guide the pre-development project has been formed with individuals representing both the historic preservation commission and the MMCA board of directors. The committee has recently hired architect Douglas Steinmetz. A well-regarded architect with over 20 years of experience, Steinmetz specializes in historic preservation projects. He is based in Cedar Rapids.

Together with Steinmetz, the committee members will work to create a plan for the renovation of the structure to suit the needs of a community arts center, instead of a 19th century bank.

The building has undergone relatively few changes during it’s 150-year lifespan. Two safes remain in the building, which operated as a bank for about 130 years. The upper floors of the building include one active rental apartment with plenty of historic woodwork. However, much of the space on the upper floors has been vacant for many years. Apartment spaces located on the east side of the structure and the third floor have not been occupied since about the 1930s or 40s and there is no functioning electrical or plumbing service to these areas. In addition, the walls in some of the upper floors have sustained water damage in the past.

Steinmetz was in McGregor in April and toured the building. He said that it was in better shape than he expected to find.

His first task will be to measure and draw plans for the building, for which no original architectural plans are known to exist. The building was originally designed by architect Elias C.W. Jacobs. (Jacobs also designed the Stauer House residence at 629 Main St.)

The first bank had been organized in McGregor in 1856, and moved to the new bank building when it was completed in 1863, according to the McGregor Historical Walking Tour guidebook.

The First National Bank building is closely associated with an early prominent citizen of McGregor—an abolitionist from Maine by the name of Samuel Merrill.

Merrill, who operated a successful dry goods business in McGregor starting in 1856, was First National Bank president from 1863 to 1867. He was absent from McGregor during much of that time, as he enlisted in the Union Army in 1862, with a commission of colonel in the 21st Iowa Infantry Division. In May 1863, Merrill was severely wounded through the hip. After spending months in McGregor recovering from his wound, he rejoined his regiments in Texas, but resigned his commission in June 1864, due to pain from his injury.

In 1867, Merrill was elected as Governor of Iowa, serving two terms. At the close of his political career, he moved to Des Moines and became president of the Citizen’s National Bank. He died in 1899 in Los Angeles, Calif.

The First National Bank operated in McGregor from 1863 to 1933. In the depths of the Great Depression, the 1933 Federal Bank Holiday closed three insolvent banks in McGregor and Marquette, including First National Bank, State Bank of McGregor and Marquette Savings Bank.

A new bank, the First State Savings Bank, was organized from the assets of the three failed banks. Gilbert Meyer, former director of First National, became director of First State Savings Bank.

The committee will continue to explore the history of the building and to communicate with the public throughout the design process. They welcome information about and photos of the building anyone in the community may be able to share (just contact McGregor City Hall, 873-3795).

The design process will include the completion of a condition assessment report, concept design and sketches for the interior and exterior of the building for the adaptive re-use as an art center. Cost estimates for the rehabilitation and adaptation of the building will also be done. The information and designs will assist the MMCA in fund raising for the rehab construction project, which will be planned in phases.

When the design for the building is completed sometime in the spring of 2014, the committee and Steinmetz will host a public open house to share the design sketches and ideas.

McGregor native’s presentation

will bring to life Civil War stories of his ancestors

By Trudy Balcom

Museums and historians across the U.S. are currently honoring the 150th anniversary of the Civil War (1861-1865). The McGregor Historical Museum is also observing local history relating to the war with two presentations scheduled for June 21 and June 23.

Dr. John Kohl, a McGregor native, McGregor High School class of 1947, returns to McGregor for two Civil War presentations. On Friday evening, June 21, at the McGregor Landing Event Center, Dr. Kohl will share stories of his great grandfather and great-great grandfather in “The Civil War Journey of John C. Kohls and Jacob Cumley.” This presentation will start at 7 p.m., with a prelude of Civil War music at 6:30 p.m. provided by Dr. Jim Arvidson. The event is free and open to the public, but donations are gratefully accepted.

Two ancestors fought in the same company

Kohl is in the unique position of having two ancestors who served in the Civil War in the same company, Company C-3rd Wisconsin Volunteeer Infantry. John Christian Kohls, (his great grandfather)was a Prussian immigrant who lived in southern Wisconsin and moved to the McGregor area after the war. He enlisted after Lincoln’s first call for volunteers in April, 1861, and survived several major battles—Gettysburg, Antietam and Chancellorsville.

The Civil War Soldier’s Monument looks heavenward at Pleasant Grove Cemetery in McGregor, where many Civil War veterans are buried.

Jacob Cumley (his great-great grandfather), an older man who was from the same Wisconsin county as Kohls, served until he was injured in battle, then worked as a hospital orderly. Kohl will provide an inside look at the harrowing hardships of serving in the Union Army as an ordinary infantryman by sharing the experiences of the two men.

After the conclusion of his military service, Jacob moved to McGregor with his family. John Christian Kohls married Jacob Cumley’s daughter, Matilda. Both families are buried at McGregor’s historic Pleasant Grove Cemetery.

Music, Fish Fry and Railroad History

The second presentation by Dr. Kohl will be part of Family Civil War History Day on June 23. A free-will donation fish fry featuring Mississippi River catfish to benefit the Historical Museum will be provided from 5-7 p.m. Live Civil War music will be performed by the Ol’ Man River Band from 6-7 p.m., followed by Dr. Kohl’s presentation,“The Civil War: A Railroad War” from 7-8 p.m. This event will be held at Uncle Sam’s Saloon, McGregor. Kohl’s presentation will explore railroad expansion as it related to the Civil War. Railroads became vitally important in such a large-scale war, which included armies numbering three million men fighting in 18 states in 385 major battles and thousands of skirmishes.

Kohl’s presentation promises to be an enlightening and entertaining exploration of national and local history.

Before becoming an avid student of family and Civil War history, Kohl served as a public school teacher and administrator and as a professor at Pennsylvania State University and Montana State University. He is currently at work on a book about his Civil War soldier ancestors.

Lazy River

Beer & Wine Fest in Marquette Saturday

The McGregor-Marquette Chamber of Commerce is hosting the fourth annual Lazy River Beer & Wine Fest on Sat., June 22, from noon to 4 p.m. The location is on the beautiful Mississippi River frontage near Lady Luck Casino in Marquette.

Discounted tickets are available at the McGregor-Marquette Chamber of Commerce office in McGregor, or Eagles Landing Winery in Marquette. Tickets are also available online at www.lazyriverfest.com through Wed., June 19. Any tickets purchased online at this time will be held at the ‘Will Call’ table located at the entrance to the event. Tickets are also available at the gate on the day of the event.

The purchase of a ticket includes the opportunity to relax and enjoy 10 samples of your choice from five Iowa wineries and five regional breweries, including: Eagles Landing Winery, Marquette; Empty Nest Winery, Waukon; Engelbrecht Winery, Fredericksburg; Park Farm Winery, Bankston; Promise Land Winery, Guttenberg; Potosi Brewing Co. Potosi, Wis., Back Pocket Brewing , Coralville, Iowa, Millstream Brewing Co., Amana, Iowa; Minhas Brewery, Monroe, Wis., Old Man River, McGregor.

Three local vendors will have booths set up and selling items from their menus, including McGregor Beer & Bratz, Uncle Sam’s Saloon and Valley Fish & Cheese. Live musical entertainment will be provided by Take Two on stage.

Also included with the ticket are a souvenir sampling glass, signature event wine bag and a $5 food voucher. You MUST be 21 to attend ; I.D. required. There will be no carry-ins allowed. The festival goes on rain or shine!

“This year’s event looks to be quite an exciting and well attended. I hope you have marked your calendar and made plans to attend,” stated Carolyn Gallagher, Executive Director of the Chamber.

MMCA to

open second gallery show June 21

The McGregor-Marquette Center for the Arts at 158 Main St. in McGregor is inviting the public to their next gallery exhibition featuring sculptures by Erica Koivunen and paintings by David Prehm.

A receptions for the artists will be held Friday, June 21, from 6 to 8 p.m. Refreshments will be served. The art work will continue to be on display until July 22.

Erika Koivunen is a scrap metal artist with a degree in art and has studied under well-known scrap metal artists at University of Wisconsin-Madison. There is an element of fun captured in her art to the delight of everyone collecting her sculptures.

David Prehm graduated from Luther College in art education, and earned a masters degree in studio art. He taught art at New Hampton from 1988, until his retirement in 2009. His paintings can be seen in collections from Iowa to Norway, France, Japan, New Zealand and Australia. David paints mostly in watercolors, and paints on location and in the studio.

Community Music

Festival will benefit the

Clayton County Food Shelf

The McGregor Ecumenical Church Council has finalized plans for the Music Festival to be held Sun., June 23, at 1 p.m. at the McGregor Center School.

Local and professional talent will take part in the festival, which consists of 12 performances and two skits, including the barbershop quartet ‘Three Lads and Dad,’ McGregor’s singing dentist, Dr. Jim Arvidson, musician Richard Palucci, MFL MarMac’s Dr. Dale Crozier on the piano, Marquette Mayor Norma Mason and McGregor Mayor Gay Hallberg, who will perform in the skits called ‘The Pocket City Bootleggers’ and ‘The Pocket City Saloon.’

The event is the second of its kind and is sponsored by the McGregor area Ecumenical Church Council, made up of representatives of the First Congregational, Swede Ridge, United Methodist and St. Mary’s churches. The first event took place in 2011, when the First Congregational Church approached the Ecumenical Council about sponsoring a mission project that would benefit the food shelf.

The event is free, but donations for the Clayton County Food Shelf at St. Olaf are gratefully accepted.