Snapshot of History by Mike Avitt

I spoke about Hy-Vee’s early history at the Mount Ayr Public Library during Ayr Days celebration and the Lamoni Chronicle newspapers are now digitized and online so I have some additional information to share. Hy-Vee’s co-founders, Charles Hyde and David Vredenburg, were both raised in northern Harrison County, Iowa around communities such as Woodbine, Magnolia,…

BY MIKE AVITT Orr Fisher took this photo of “Willie” Willey in, I believe, the mid-1930s. Orr painted Willey’s portrait on one of Willie’s visits to Mount Ayr. Willis Ray “Willie” Willey was born in Mount Ayr on September 15, 1884 along with his twin brother, Willard Roy Willey. Willard was the father of Gerald…

By Mike Avitt Today we will look at 117 North Taylor Street in Mount Ayr. The building is currently That’s What She Read, a romance bookstore and event venue. The building was constructed in 1893 for Eugene Vorpe. Mr. Vorpe did the carpentry work and George Smithson laid the brick. Smithson’s other works include the…

BY MIKE AVITT A man named Grover Hahn visited me at the Mount Ayr Depot Museum this week. Grover’s grandmother was Lillie Rusk who lived just south of the Methodist Church in Mount Ayr. It was an interesting and productive visit which resulted in some donated items and the inspiration for this week’s article. Grover…

BY MIKE AVITT I took this week’s picture with a black and white disposable camera in 2004. The scene has changed a great deal since I took this photo and it is changing again soon. Ground was broken on Wishard Chapel’s new church building the second week of July 2023. The current church building was…

Most people remember this building as either Main Motor Co., Western Auto, or Farm & Home. This week we’ll look at several short-lived businesses that also called this building home and there were many. The building was constructed in 1946 for Gail Dalton and Wilbur Lynch as D & L Motor Co. at 116 N.…

This week’s picture is an ink drawing which appears in an 1887 book called, “Biographical and Historical Record of Ringgold and Decatur Counties, Iowa.” I believe the Ringgold Record building was the fourth brick building erected in Mount Ayr (1881) and it is still standing at 119 N. Taylor Street. It has been modified and…

I took this week’s picture on November 12, 2011. The building is the former Frank Carr dance hall and it is still standing. The last I knew, Don Ray was the owner. On June 17, 1931, a fire destroyed most of Maloy’s business district including the St. Mary’s Catholic Church. So, 1932 was a rebuilding…

Ringgold County and Mount Ayr were both established in 1855. So, 100 years later, it didn’t make sense to have both the Ringgold County Centennial and the Mount Ayr Centennial in the same year. Thus, Mount Ayr celebrated in 1975, 100 years after the town was incorporated. Now Mount Ayr is two years away from…

In April 1970 the Ringgold County Historical Society met to discuss plans to establish a county museum and genealogical library. They discussed two possible locations: the former West End Market building in Mount Ayr and the Ellston High School building. The West End Market building had a $9,500 price tag but was centrally located and…