Snapshots of History

By Editor | September 17, 2025 |

By Mike Avitt
A couple of things happened this week that I must mention.
Tony Mercer announced that he has succeeded in getting the Ringgold County centennial books online for viewers at no cost. Tony has previously gotten most of Ringgold County’s newspapers and high school annuals online, as well.
So, I was poking around in the genealogy room ( I call it the Reference Room) at the Mount Ayr Public Library and I picked up a scrapbook donated by the Beaconsfield Alumni Committee. It included dozens of photos of attendees at various reunions. There are a small number of Beaconsfield student photos from decades ago and some are identified. Also, I saw about four Beaconsfield street scene photos from the 1980s including the Hy-Vee building. The Hy-Vee building had a plaque on it that was probably the original Hy-Vee plaque. It had the “shopping cart” logo which was used from 1963 to 1993. So, why can’t this scrapbook be on the internet for all to see and enjoy? Well, it can. But, how?
Someone smarter than me is going to have to make that decision. Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, are all free as far as I know, but can the viewer easily navigate these formats and find what they are looking for. It is my understanding the Ringgold County genealogical website has limited space. And Tony can’t write a grant every time I find a scrapbook. There are many options, including hiring a website designer and paying for a website, but which option is the right one?
I used the Beaconsfield scrapbook as an example. There are hundreds and hundreds of items in the genealogy room that should be viewed. Or heard.
It has come to my attention that a couple of Mount Ayr Sesquicentennial Committee members are seeking oral histories from people older than me (there are many!). This reminded me of something else that is in the genealogy room at the library that I have known about for decades, but paid little attention towards. I figure there are about a dozen people that know about it.
A plastic case and a small box hold thirty-nine audio cassettes of recorded Ringgold County history. I looked at about 12 of them to see if they are labeled, they are, and to do a count. One tape is labeled, “Caledonia Reunion – June 15, 1975.” So, I assume this is audio recordings from different people who attended the reunion that year. That’s great, but will a 50-year-old audio cassette play without breaking?
Obviously, all of these cassettes need to be transferred to modern storage units. That’s another decision for someone smarter than me. And if they are saved, aren’t we obligated to make these recordings available to the public?
Other cassettes were labeled, “Harold and Mildred Turnbull – March 13, 1982” and “Ringgold City – Neva Coulson.” Good stuff. Wouldn’t a grandchild love to hear their grandparents tell about life on the farm or a small town business? The answer is yes. It’s time to explore the history that has been buried under decades of distractions and indifference.
There is so much material in the genealogy room, I can’t begin to share the contents in one article. And I thought this room was started by the Ringgold County Genealogical Society but they did not. The microfilm viewer the room was obtained in 1975. The Ringgold County Genealogical Society didn’t begin until late 1978.
The Mount Ayr Record-News reports information from Ringgold County Historical Society President Charles Bennett that many Ringgold County newspapers have been taken to Des Moines to be copied by the archives department of the Iowa State Historical Society – November 1974.
Bennett said some of the newspapers had been stored in the library. I know these to be the Twice-A-Week News. Other newspapers were stored on the fourth floor of the courthouse. Probably the Mount Ayr Journal newspapers would have been included in this lot.
And, of course, the Record-News and Ringgold Record newspapers have always been stored at the Record-News office. Happy reading and happy birthday, Mount Ayr.