Snapshots of History: Mount Ayr Pool
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Judge Lewis Park in Mount Ayr in 2011.
By Mike Avitt
Charles J. Lewis was born in Taylor County in 1877.
He moved with his family to Redding a few years later and pursued education. He graduated from Drake University College of Law in 1905 and entered into business with his father.
By July 1962, Lewis was a district judge and made an offer to the city of Mount Ayr: he would donate $10,000 toward a city park under the condition that a modern pool be built in the park.
Land was purchased from Mrs. S. C. Stanley in southwest Mount Ayr and the Mount Ayr Swimming Pool opened June 26, 1963.
The swimming pool committee was made up of Bill Harover, Dr. Charles Lawhead, Richard Gish, Marian Carr, Joe Gross, and Erma Nelson. Of course, much work was started before Judge Lewis’s offer was made public.
So, Judge Lewis Park got its start in 1962, but all focus was on the pool until 1964.
In 1964 the first baseball diamond was built in the west part of the park. Light poles were set by Elmer Baker, REC, ISU, and Ringgold County Mutual Telephone Co. Rex Shaha, Leonard Sobotka, and Joe Sobotka put their bulldozers to work on leveling the ground. This work was finished by mid-May in 1964.
The cement for the bandshell was poured in June 1964 by Marvin Reynolds, Billy Thompsom, and Dale Stephens. The project was sponsored by the Mount Ayr High School Band Boosters.
Flowers, shrubs, and trees were planted in 1964 by the Women’s Federated Club under the direction of Joy Mitchell.
The swimming pool had only been open for two months in 1963, so 1964 was the first full season for the pool and the staff.
The pool opened May 28, 1964 and stayed open until August 29 with Doyle Thomas as manager. His staff included: Jack Gross, Judi Dawson, Ed Pine, Gary Keplinger, Marie Euritt, Marla Kay Euritt, Lynn Crawford, Nancy Foltz and others.
The next ballpark was built in the southeast corner of Judge Lewis Park in 1977.
In 1982, the new tennis courts opened complete with a lighting system for night play. The tennis courts were a result of a two-year effort by the Park Recreational Improvement Committee. For those of you who weren’t there, tennis was extremely popular in the 1970s and 1980s.
The Mount Ayr Lions Club spent three years building horseshoe-pitching courts at the park and the first tournament was held in June 1994. Winners were Jerry Hold, Class A; Pam Jackson, Class B; and Richard Tipton, Class C. The event was sponsored by the Mount Ayr Lions Club and Shaha Construction.
The “Judge Lewis Park” sign in front of the swimming pool was completed in October 2013 and presented by the Rick Stull family.
The new bath house was also completed in 2013. The third baseball diamond was probably built in the 1990s.
And on a sad note, the high diving board at the swimming pool was removed before the 1982 season. We really enjoyed inventing dives from this board in the 1970s.
