Snapshot of History by Mike Avitt

I took three pictures of this building in Caledonia before it was burned by the owner in 2007. It was once used by Dr. Allen W. Reynolds. Dr. Reynolds retired about 1940. Caledonia was established in 1855 by the Swigart, Stuck, and Walter families. The new village was located near the Dragoon Trace, a military…

BY MIKE AVITT This week’s photo comes from the Clair Heyer collection. The restaurant was called Tingley Cafe in the early 1960s but would have a different name in 1977 when an unexpected guest dined here. The September 22, 1977 Record-News reports Iowa Governor Robert Ray and his financial assistant, a Mr. Sharp, showed up…

BY MIKE AVITT I was visiting with a friend of mine about the Mount Ayr High School Hall of Fame nomination process and I learned my friend has not been to an induction ceremony. I have been in attendance on two occasions and enjoyed both. This week I’ll share some info on possible future inductees.…

BY MIKE AVITT There were way more occupants of this building than I thought. I probably won’t get them all in today. The building was constructed at 1004 W. South Street in Mount Ayr in 1947. Ames Cross had previously had his auto and gas business in a wood-frame building nearby. I don’t know what…

BY MIKE AVITT State Highway 3 (now Highway 2) once came into Mt. Ayr from the east and turned north on what is now US 169. No. 3 then turned west on Monroe St. and continued halfway around the square, exiting town on Madison Street. That all changed in 1939 when the highway was routed…

BY MIKE AVITT The newspapers don’t often carry news about taverns but there were bits and pieces. When I combine that info with beer permit applications, which were published in the City Council proceedings, I get a partial story. This week’s photo is not in good focus but I can see Red Lamb’s Tavern at…

BY MIKE AVITT I’ve written about this photo before but I have further information. The picture comes from the Orr Fisher collection and was taken in 1939. The December 2, 1875 Ringgold Record newspaper describes the construction of this building, the buildings to the west, and the occupants. There were three buildings built at the…

BY MIKE AVITT Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night and say, “why did that happen?”. It happens to me every night. By 1917, every incorporated town in Ringgold County had built a brick high school except Knowlton, Ellston, and Beaconsfield. In 1917 only Mount Ayr had electricity, but Diagonal soon…

Kellerton’s first high school burned in February of 1895 and a new brick school was built that year. The new school building was 52 feet square, two stories high, and opened in December 1895. It was obsolete in twenty years. In July 1915, F. X. White received the contract for the construction of Kellerton’s new…