Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Monthly Meeting and Election - November 17, 2009


The Cambridge Historical Association met Tuesday, November 17, with the meeting being a combination business meeting and work session on our new home.  The business meeting discussed how to arrange items in the new building for best use and planning for the new year.  It concluded with election of the following officers for 2010:
  • Wayne Messer - Co-president
  • Val Moore - Co-president
  • Don Erickson - Treasurer
  • Julie Erickson - Secretary
  • Joyce Williams - Director
  • Florence Wheeler - Director
During the work session, we moved the bookcases shown in the picture and other furniture into position.  We will be filling these with all the Cambridge History references.  While this is underway, we can still help you find information about your ancestors and the area.
    Our meetings are held the third Tuesday of the month, 7 p.m., at 504 Third Street, Cambridge.  The next meeting will be Tuesday, January 19th, 2010 (we do not meet in December).  Contact us at 515-220-HISTORY (515-220-4478) or by email at cha@huxcomm.net.

      Tuesday, December 1, 2009

      Tree Lighting and Open House - Postponed to December 11, 2009


      This Friday, December 4, 2009, at 6:30 is the Christmas Tree Lighting and the open house at the Cambridge City Hall.
      [Update] - The Christmas Tree Lighting and open house have been postponed to December 9th.
      [Update 2] -  The Christmas Tree Lighting and Open House are now scheduled for Friday, December 11th.

      Sunday, November 15, 2009

      Events at Dorcas Hall - November 21, 2009


      There are two events this Saturday, November 21, 2009, at the Dorcas Hall.  The first is the Cambridge Holiday Shopping Extravaganza from 9 am to 2 pm.  The second is a Homemade Ham Dinner hosted by the Women of the United Methodist Church beginning at 5 pm.  Click on the picture on the left for more details on each of them.  Click again on the picture that comes up to magnify it.

      Saturday, November 14, 2009

      Monthly Meeting - October 20, 2009

      The October 2009 meeting was the first meeting held in our new building!  The building, which was the Masonic Tabernacle Lodge Number 452 of Cambridge, Iowa, is located at 504 3rd Street, just off of Water Street. Please join us at 7 pm, on the third Tuesday of the month, for our meetings.

      The main item of discussion was planning the move and how to best use the space.  Some of the material has already been moved to a staging area in the building.  Thanks to the generosity of Huxley Communications, phone and Internet services have since been installed in the building.  Our new phone number is 515-220-HIST (515-220-4478).

      Officers for 2010 were nominated for the election at our next meeting, Tuesday, November 17, 2009.  Those nominated were:

      Wayne Messer - Co-president
      Don Erickson - Co-president
      Florence Wheeler - Treasurer
      Julie Erickson - Secretary
      Val Moore - Director
      Joyce Williams - Director

      Please join us for the meeting and election 7 pm on Tuesday, November 17, 2009.  See the building and give us your ideas for how to best use it.

      Sunday, November 8, 2009

      South Skunk River Water Quality Improvements Open House - November 9, 2009


      The Ames Water & Pollution Control Department is having an open house Monday, November 9, 2009, from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm at their Water Pollution Control Facility at 56797 280th Street. They are looking for public input before their presentation to the Ames City Council.  See the image to the left for more details or read their PDF.

      Saturday, November 7, 2009

      Cambridge Trail Sign

      One of the Cambridge Historical Association projects this year was helping the city prepare a trail sign for the Heart of Iowa Nature Trail when the stretch from Cambridge to Maxwell is opened.  Story County Conservation has a project underway to restore two bridge structures and build nearly four miles of trail between Cambridge and County Highway S-14.

      The sign has been completed and is ready for installation when the trail is opened in the summer of 2010.  Thanks to Don Erickson who prepared the history for the brass sign and oversaw its completion.  You can click on the sign shown on the left for a larger picture.

      Book Discussion Group - November 10, 2009

      There is a new book discussion group forming at the Cambridge Memorial Library.  The first meeting, an organization meeting, is next Tuesday, November 10, 2009, at 7:00 pm.  Please bring your ideas and book suggestions.  See the picture for further details.

      Wednesday, October 28, 2009

      Cambridge History Department Flyer

      Before the Cambridge Historical Association formed, we were the Cambridge History Department of Cambridge, Iowa.  Many of you still refer to us this way.  This flyer from around 2000 illustrates our holdings at that time. You can find these items plus many more to help with your research.

      Cambridge History Department Flyer - Precursor to Cambridge Historical Association

      Sunday, October 25, 2009

      Can You Help Us Identify These People?


      We were recently asked if we could identify the students and teacher in this picture.  While we also have the picture in our collection, we do not have names for the people.  The caption on the bottom says:7344A 1st and 2nd Grades, 1910-1911, Cambridge School, Cambridge, Iowa.  We did check our second book, Cambridge, Iowa 150 Years of Education in Cambridge and Union Township, Story County, Iowa and found we had not used the picture in it.  To see a larger version of the picture, click on the image.

      The front of the postcard is also shown in case that is helpful.  Can you help us?  Please use the comments or email us cha@huxcomm.net .

      Saturday, October 24, 2009

      Cambridge City Election - November 3, 2009

      The election for Mayor of Cambridge, Iowa and for City Council members will be held Tuesday, November 3, 2009. You can see the sample ballot on the Story County website. Our current Mayor, Scott DeYoung, is unopposed for reelection. Three City Council seats have four candidates on the ballot: Husie Holmes, Steven Kovarik, Dan Mortensen, and David Thom. Write-in votes may be used for any of the positions. Polls are open from 7 am to 8 pm at the Cambridge Fire Station, 304 River Street.

      Tuesday, October 20, 2009

      Restoring Family Photos - October 22, 2009

      The Kirkendall Public Library in Ankeny, Iowa is hosting a free presentation by Dennis Allen and Cris Nagla this Thursday, October 22, 2009, at 6:30 pm on Restoring Family Photos. Learn how to restore and preserve your family's photos.

      Saturday, October 17, 2009

      Our Meetings Have a New Site!


      Beginning with the meeting this month, Tuesday, October 20, 2009, our meetings, and the Cambridge Historical Association have a new location. Thanks to the Masonic Tabernacle Lodge Number 452 of Cambridge, Iowa, we now have a new home. The Lodge has donated their building to us as they are becoming part of the Nevada Lodge. We would like to thank them and especially Charles Sloniger for their generosity in making this happen. Thank you also to the Lewis Law Firm of Cambridge and the Cambridge Mayor and City Council for their help in accomplishing this.

      The building is located at 504 3rd Street, just off of Water Street. Please join us at 7 pm, on the third Tuesday of the month, for our meetings. This month we will be discussing the new building and how to organize our materials in it.

      Thursday, October 15, 2009

      Cambridge Fall Fest - October 17, 2009


      The Cambridge Fall Fest sponsored by the Cambridge Jubilee Committee is this Saturday, October 17, 2009, from 5 to 8 pm at the Cambridge Community Center. It includes food, a hayrack ride (non-scary), and spooky hayrack rides, all for $5 for adults and $3 for children under 10. Click on the picture to see a larger version for the complete details.

      Wednesday, September 16, 2009

      Barn Tour Including Apland-Freeland Barn - September 19 and 20, 2009

      The Iowa Barn Foundation is having a free self-guided tour of many Iowa barns on Saturday, September 19th and Sunday, September 20th. Barns will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. both days. The Apland-Freeland barn near Cambridge is one of four barns in Story County which may be seen. More information on its history is available here and here.

      Monday, September 14, 2009

      7th Annual Cambridge Iowa Truck Pull - September 19, 2009

      The 7th Annual Cambridge Fall Truck Pull will be held Saturday, September 19th, 2009. The gates open at 10 am and the pull begins at noon. More details are available at the Cambridge Motor Sports page.

      Sunday, July 26, 2009

      Whole Town's Talking: Cambridge, Iowa

      One of our displays during the 2009 Jubilee Days was the video Whole Town's Talking: Cambridge, Iowa. This was part of a 1952 series by WOI-TV showing town meetings to discuss current local issues. For Cambridge, the issue was whether it should keep its high school or consolidate with other local schools or towns. You can see this half-hour episode online at YouTube or watch the DVD at the Cambridge Historical Association.

      The three parts of the show can be seen at:

      Whole Town's Talking: Cambridge, Iowa part 1

      Whole Town's Talking: Cambridge, Iowa part 2


      Whole Town's Talking: Cambridge, Iowa part 3

      Each part is about ten minutes long.

      A news article about the show can be found in our first book: Cambridge, Iowa: The First 150 Years.

      Thanks to Larry and Helen Nernes for identifying many of the students and participants in the video. Those identified were:

      CJ Sampers

      Betty Jo Harker

      Levona Carins

      Bud Carins

      Terry Jennings

      Dorothy Kahler

      Larry Nernes

      Jim Crosser

      Fred Warren

      Frank Warren

      Matilda Hill

      Marge Griffith

      Larry Gardner

      Danny Stowe

      John Dyer

      Francis Blackwood

      Owen Dean Thorson

      Harsha??

      Monday, July 20, 2009

      Cambridge Fire Department Open House and BBQ - July 25, 2009

      The Cambridge, Iowa Fire and Rescue is having an open house and BBQ dinner Saturday July 25, 2009 from 4 to 8 pm. See the details below:

      CAMBRIDGE

      FIRE & RESCUE

      OPEN HOUSE

      SATURDAY, JULY 25TH

      4-8 PM

      BBQ DINNER W/BEANS AND PASTA SALAD

      ICE CREAM SANDWICHES

      ONLY $5

      VISIT THE STATION

      TOUR THE TRUCKS

      MEET THE STAFF

      SEE OUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

      ***FREE BLOOD PRESSURE CHECKS!***

      *** 1948 CHEVY FIRE TRUCK ON DISPLAY***

      COME JOIN US FOR FOOD, FUN AND PRIZES!!!

      (Register to win prize, free entry with every paid meal)

      Thursday, June 25, 2009

      Monthly Meeting - June 16, 2009

      The regular monthly meeting of the Cambridge Historical Association was held Tuesday, June 16, 2009. Among the items discussed were:
      • The Memorial Day Services at the Cambridge Cemetery. Thank you to everyone that has contacted us with additional veterans information.
      • During the Jubilee Days celebration, we participated in the parade. Our displays for this included a DVD showing the WOI-TV production "The Whole Town's Talking - Cambridge, Iowa" and the scans of Cambridge High School senior pictures which were used in our second book. Thank you to Larry and Helen Nernes for helping to identify students and participants in the TV broadcast.
      The next regular meeting will be Tuesday, July 21st at 7 p.m. at the Cambridge Historical Association headquarters, 209 Water Street.

      Wednesday, June 24, 2009

      Playground Equipment Installation - Volunteers Needed

      Notice - Volunteers Needed for Playground Equipment Installation
      The new equipment for the Cambridge City Park, Cambridge, Iowa is scheduled to be installed Friday, June 26, 2009. Volunteers are needed to help! You may have seen the notice in the Post Office. See the picture for details. Click on the picture to see a larger version.

      Tuesday, June 16, 2009

      Jubilee Days Parade

      The Jubilee Days Parade was held Saturday, June 13, 2009. The route took it south on Water Street past the Cambridge Historical Association. We had good weather, after the rain Friday evening, and a good crowd and parade. Here are a few of the pictures, all taken from in front the the Historical Association. We will soon have all the pictures for you to see on our computer in the Historical Association.


      Veterans with Flag leading the parade
      Cambridge Little League Float
      Barrel Train
      Cambridge Historical Association banner
      First Ballard Senior Class
      Griffith Horse Team and Cart
      Classic Auto
      Classic Cambridge Fire Truck
      Ms. Wheelchair Iowa 2009
      Cambridge Fire Truck

      Monday, June 15, 2009

      Cambridge, Iowa Garage Sale - June 20th

      The annual Cambridge, Iowa citywide garage sale will be next weekend, June 20th, 2009, from 8:30 to 3:30. It is sponsored by the United Methodists.

      Monday, June 8, 2009

      Memorial Day Services at Cambridge Cemetery

      Veterans Memorial in Cambridge, Iowa Cemetery
      The list of Cambridge, Iowa veterans we are preparing was used to create a list of veterans buried in the Cambridge Cemetery for the American Legion Memorial Day services on May 25, 2009. A printable copy of this flyer (PDF) can be downloaded here.

      An updated version of the list is being prepared for the Legion. A list by location in the cemetery is also being prepared for the American Legion Auxiliary to assist with the American flags they provide at the veterans graves.

      Thank you to Julie Erickson, Joyce Williams, Florence Wheeler, and Wayne Messer for creating this list. Also, thank you to the members of the community for information on the veterans. Please let us know of other additions and corrections.

      Jubilee Days in Cambridge, Iowa - June 12 - 14

      Welcome to Cambridge, established 1856
      Jubilee Days are held the second weekend in June. This year it begins Friday, June 12th, and runs through Sunday morning, June 14th. The complete schedule is available on the Cambridge, Iowa website. You can also download a printable version (PDF) of the schedule here.

      Be sure and include a stop at the Cambridge Historical Association in your plans for Jubilee Days on Saturday, June 13th.

      Thursday, May 7, 2009

      Cambridge Alumni Association Banquet - June 6, 2009

      The annual Cambridge Independent School District Alumni Banquet will be Saturday, June 6, 2009 at the Ballard East Elementary School in Cambridge, Iowa. A social hour at 5:00 pm will be followed by the dinner at 6:00 pm. Honor Classes are 1939, 1944, 1949, 1954, 1959, 1964, 1969, and 1974.

      Send the form confirming your attendance to:

      Berk Fletcher
      8508 NW Country Club Drive
      Urbandale, IA 50322

      Tuesday, April 7, 2009

      Ames Historical Society Lecture - April 28, 2009

      The Ames Historical Society has a series of presentation each year. The last presentation for this year's series is A Drive Through Ames and Story County using historic images from the IDOT which will be Tuesday, April 28, 2009, at 7 p.m. at the Ames City Auditorium. More details are available on their website.

      Sunday, April 5, 2009

      Monthly Meeting - March 24, 2009

      The regular monthly meeting of the Cambridge Historical Association was held Tuesday, March 24, 2009. Among the items discussed were:
      • The list of Cambridge, Iowa Veterans we are preparing. Thank you to everyone that has contacted us with additional veterans information.
      • Upcoming meetings: the Story County Historical Societies will be meeting April 4th at Story City.
      • Upcoming meetings: Wayne Messer will be attending the workshop Preserving Your History by Tanya Zanish-Belcher at Corning, Iowa on March 27th.
      The next regular meeting will be Tuesday, April 21st at 7 p.m. at the Cambridge Historical Association headquarters, 209 Water Street.

      Saturday, March 21, 2009

      Monthly Meeting - February 17, 2009

      The regular monthly meeting of the Cambridge Historical Association was held Tuesday, February 17, 2009. Among the items discussed were:
      • Preparing a list of veterans in the Cambridge cemeteries for Memorial Day honors. We are using the lists of veterans in our book: Cambridge, Iowa The First 150 Years as the starting point. Cemetery records and our collection of obituaries are being combined with the lists. If you have additional sources or know others that should be included, please let us know.
      • Preparation of a display for Jubilee Days, which is the second weekend in June. The theme will be Cambridge Area Schools with much of it coming from our book: Cambridge, Iowa 150 Years of Education in Cambridge and Union Township, Story County, Iowa.
      • Designing a sign for the Heart of Iowa Nature Trail being constructed south of Cambridge.
      • Thank you for the donation of historic items from John Kalsem and Dorothy Hynd.
      The next regular meeting was scheduled for March 17th, later postponed to Tuesday, March 24th at 7 p.m. It will be held at the Cambridge Historical Association headquarters, 209 Water Street.

      Tuesday, March 17, 2009

      Monthly Meeting Postponed to March 24, 2009

      The regular monthly meeting of the Cambridge Historical Association has been postponed for one week. The March meeting will be held Tuesday, March 24, 2009, at 7 p.m.

      Saturday, February 14, 2009

      Next Meeting Tuesday, February 17, 2009

      Just a reminder that the next meeting of the Cambridge Historical Association, Cambridge, Iowa, is next Tuesday - February 17, 2009, at 7 p.m. Everyone is invited.

      Wednesday, February 11, 2009

      Photos of Current Cambridge, Iowa - Follow-up

      Just a short note following up our previous post. Random Iowa did visit on February 8th and took great pictures of some Cambridge landmarks. Some of them are in this posting on their blog. This also includes a link to the Cambridge pictures they have posted on Wikimedia. Some of the pictures were incorporated in the Wikipedia article on Cambridge, Iowa.

      Thank you Random Iowa for this project and for including Cambridge in it.

      Monday, February 9, 2009

      Photos of Current Cambridge, Iowa

      The Random Iowa blog had as its topic this week visiting Cambridge, Iowa. (They were planning to visit on February 8th.) They travel around Iowa to a different area each week to take interesting photographs for Wikimedia Commons, i.e., the pictures may be used in Wikipedia articles and related projects. For example, the pictures might be used to illustrate the Cambridge, Iowa Wikipedia article. I'm pleased they planned to visit us and look forward to seeing the pictures.

      They asked for suggestions of sights to photograph and I offered the American Legion Mural and the Memorial on Water Street. What do you think we should be photographing? What pictures should the Cambridge Historical Association be collecting now to document Cambridge's history for the future? Please add your comments here or contact us.

      Finding that Random Iowa, which I was previously unaware of, was going to visit was partly luck and partly use of some of the tools available on the Internet. The timing was mainly luck because Random Iowa posted their plans on the day before their visit. I found out about their plans because I also have a Google Alert for Cambridge, Iowa, which searches blogs and sends results, if any, daily. You can set these up to email or receive via a Feed Reader. For more information, see the Google Alerts FAQ. The results I receive are similar to this Google blog search for "Cambridge Iowa", just spread out in time rather than all at once.

      Thursday, January 8, 2009

      Monthly Meeting and Election - November 18, 2008

      The regular monthly meeting of the Cambridge Historical Association was held Tuesday, November 18, 2008. Items discussed included:
      • The Slater Area Historical Association presentation by Amy Yoakum on the Cemeteries of Story County
      • The microfilm reader-printer has been received and installed in the Cambridge Library. A different computer is required to make it fully operational.
      • Mayor Scott DeYoung has requested our help in designing a sign for the Heart of Iowa Nature Trail from Cambridge to Maxwell.
      • Election of officers for 2009.
      The officers elected were:
      • Wayne Messer - co-president
      • Don Erickson - co-president
      • Florence Wheeler - treasurer
      • Julie Erickson - secretary
      • Joyce Williams - director
      • Val Moore - Director
      The next regular meeting of the Cambridge Historical Association will be Tuesday, January 20, 2009, at 7 p.m.