Museum visitors
share their ties to McGregor

Submitted by
Reva Smock

Recently, the McGregor Historical Museum had some visitors who shared an interesting story of one of their ancestors. William Churchill Henshaw, his wife Carol and their grandson Dawson visited from Washington. Hen-shaw’s great-grandfather, Mr. William R. Kinnaird, was a prominent banker in McGregor at one time.

William Henshaw, his grandson Dawson and wife Carol presented the McGregor Historical Museum with a copy of Henshaw’s grandmother’s valedictory essay dated 1899.

    Kinnaird came from Kentucky to McGregor after finishing college and took a  position in his older brother’s bank. It was a private bank organized in 1856 by O.C. Lee and John Kinnaird. It was the first bank not only in McGregor, but in the county. The bank was hard hit during the panic of 1857 and was forced to close in 1861.
    After working in his brother’s bank, William Kinnaird accepted a position as a cashier in the McGregor branch of the State Bank of Iowa. In 1863 he became associated with the First National Bank of McGregor and remained with them until his death in 1913. Mr. Kinnaird’s business career extended over one-half of a century of McGregor history.
    He married Amy Lawrence of Decorah in 1870. They had four children.

Kate Clive Kinnaird

    Their youngest was Kate Clive Kinnaird born Sept. 5, 1881. They lived in a house near the Methodist Church. Later, they moved to the property in Walton Hallow which was once owned by H.H. Barnes, an early shoe dealer, but at that time was owned by James McKinley. They lived there until 1887, when they purchased the Bassett home on Kinney Street (also known as the Dull House). They were a very prominent family in the Congregational Church and in the social life of McGregor.
    Kate died  October 5, 1958.
    William’s grandmother was Kate Clive Kinnaird.
    The Henshaws presented the museum with Kate Kinnaird’s Graduation Essay and Valedictory dated June 22, 1899. The essay was entitled “ The Cultivation of Our Ideals.”
    Jean Peterson had gathered information on the Kinnaird family  for the Henshaws and in return they gave the Museum a nice donation along with the original essay document.

Start of classes brings back
memories for former one-room school teacher

By Lucy Rodenberg

    The opening of a new  school year brings back many memories for former McGregor teacher, 92 year-old Evelyn Wild-Dresselhaus.
    Evelyn taught school for 46 years, 18 of which were in McGregor with the remaining in Allamakee and Clayton Counties where she taught in one-room rural schools.
     Evelyn Regan was born July 31, 1916, in Allamakee County. When she was two, her family moved to rural Waukon.
    She worked toward her teaching certificate while she was a junior and senior by including Normal Training along with her other classes. She received her certificate and diploma in 1934. After teaching for some time she went to Upper Iowa University at Fayette to receive a B.A. in Elementary Education and a minor in history and art.
    Evelyn remembers that of her 100 classmates, only a small portion took the Normal Training with others taking the College Entrance and Commercial training.
    She feels that being raised in a rural school influenced her interest in teaching and says that she “always wanted to teach and to be a successful teacher.”
    Memories brought back to her are those of how her first class in a rural school held only seven students, most of whom she was related to. At one time she taught her sister, Mary, in eighth grade and also her daughter, Eileen, when she began school. Evelyn chuckles when she tells of how she brought the primer out to start teaching Eileen to read and was thoroughly surprised when her daughter was able to read the whole book, having learned reading from the other kids.
    “Kids then came to school anxious to learn, not like today's students that take it for granted,” Evelyn stated.  She recalls how excited they’d be when she'd bring a shopping bag full of books. “They went after the books like they were candy.,” she said.
    She stated firmly that she believed that “all students should appear on stage and every student at the Christmas programs had a part, especially the shyer ones which helped them gain more confidence.”
    One of her favorite stories is how one of her sixth grade students won the eighth grade Allamakee County Spelling Contest and then went on the State Spelling Bee.
    They traveled to Des Moines for this and it was the first time Evelyn had been there. She also says that every eighth grade student she had, was on the honor roll and had perfect attendance.
    Evelyn married Keith Wild in 1941 and they moved to McGregor from the Waukon area in 1950.  Due to unsatisfactory employment, Keith left McGregor. Evelyn returned to teaching in McGregor where for a time she taught at the Swede Ridge and Sny Magill schools. During this time, changes were being made in education as to giving more help to students that needed it. She eventually got a position teaching fourth grade at the McGregor School and retired from this position after 18 years.
    Some time after retirement, Evelyn remarried George Dresselhaus and they traveled extensively, something they both greatly enjoyed. He died in 2005.
    Evelyn Dresselhaus has four children: Eileen (Carl) Olofson, Maurice (Marie) Wild, Bill Wild and Mel (Maureen) Wild. She has seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
    She is presently living at the McGregor Turner Pointe Assisted Living Center. She continues to be an avid reader,  and enjoys visiting with the other residents.

Letter brings back fond memories
of ‘ The Old Swimming Hole’

By Lucy Rodenberg

A letter written to Morris Corlett of McGregor in 1965 from former McGregor resident Gordon Lord, has brought back many fond memories of McGregor’s old swimming hole at Sny McGill to Linda (Cowell) Kettlelkamp, and others who enjoyed fun afternoons with Lord as they were taught to swim.
    Many residents will recall that Gordon Lord was a nationally recognized photographer and he once stated, ‘the Midwest is my model,’ according to a quote from the North Iowa Times years back.
    Lord, born in Normal, Illinois, was trained as a civil engineer at Peoria. After he left school in 1932 he hitchhiked to Bayfield County, Wisconsin. There he fished and practiced his craft of photography, something he’d always been interested in.
    At first, he took what employment he could find, including being a steel worker, hotel night clerk, cannery foreman, employee of the U. S. Forest Service and a surveyor along the Illinois River for the government.  In 1940 he was transferred to Honolulu, then later to Tennessee where his photography career became a serious part of his life.
    Gordon Lord traveled all over and won several awards for his pictures some of  which featured our area in national magazines and newspapers.
   

Featured is Monona resident Linda (Cowell) Kettlekamp, formerly of McGregor, wading in Sny Magill Creek. The photo was taken by renowned photographer and local swim instructor, Gordon Lord.

Gordon at first visited McGregor during the summer time, then wintered in Florida. After several years of this, he and his mother made their home in McGregor, returning to Florida upon his retirement to live.
    McGregor had no swimming pool and because he always appreciated kids, Gordon decided to offer a swimming program for the kids.
    For years, Gordon took his afternoons off from his work and transported the younger kids one day and the older ones the next to the swimming hole. A former student of Gordon’s, who was one of his high school assistants in teaching the kids to swim, was Linda (Cowell) Kettlelkamp.
    Linda says she remembers Gordon as one of the kindest people she’s known.  
    The kids went to Bloody Run for three years, then to Sny McGill, or ‘Slimy Gill,’ called by some.  They were told to ‘hang your clothes on a hickory limb’ at first with the boys going to one side of the creek and the girls on the other side of the dense woods.  Later, some dressing rooms were provided. At first, he used his Jeep to transport the kids. But when the number of children reached 13 or so, this was no longer adequate and the school contributed a bus for his use. One of the town’s clubs provided gas and oil and another fixed a sandy beach for the kids.
    He taught 425 kids to swim throughout the years, many of whom will remember the good old days at the old swimming hole.
    Linda was one of the many kids photographed by Gordon and her photograph appeared on the front page of the November issue of the Des Moines Register “Parade” section in 1967.  She also had the honor of being featured on McGregor historian Lena Meyer’s book jacket.  Linda says Gordon gave her an original clan MacGregor tartan plaid tie and skirt for the photo.
    Gordon’s kindness is shown in the following letter written to McGregor resident Morris Corlett, who received it 1965; written while Gordon was wintering in Florida. Though he wasn’t able to write to all his students, he did keep in touch with some. The following is part of the letter that Morris’ mother, Olga Corlett, has kept.

 Dear Morris:
     Thought I’d write you a letter this time for a change.  I’ll send you some more postcards when we start back home and stay in some new places you might like to hear about.  How’s the weather up your way, I see by the McGregor paper you have had to close school a few times because of snow or ice.  I suppose Sny Mcgill has been frozen over ever since we left for the south before Christmas.  Speaking of Christmas, I sure enjoyed getting that nice Christmas card from you and your brothers and sisters.  It reached me in New Orleans and I was tickled to see all those Corlett names at the bottom. I know lots of families that have one, two or three nice children, but I know of no other family that has nine nice children and I really should say very nice! As long as you live nearby and Mama can bring you all along you will all gradually get in on the act, anyway, and even if you should move somewhere else, (I hope not) you could then ride the bus after you reached first grade at least.
     I might be able to save Mama a few trips to the swim hole next summer because I’m thinking about changing bus routes. I think that on every other trip I’ll come out Swede Ridge past the Nadings and Kluths and down the hollow to and from the swim hole.  You kids could then get on the bus at the corner where they dug the rock out, where your road joins the Eggen Hollow road. This would only be every other day, and then if Mama still wanted to make the long trip all the way, she could every other day. The other trips will be made straight out Walton hollow up the hill across Moody Ridge and down past Voshells to the gill.  All the children such as Larsons, Ruffs, etc. would ride that day regardless of age.
    Another change is to have everyone arrive in their swimsuits and leave that way; an extra towel could be brought to sit on the seat and to keep their seats. On the day it is your turn Morris, to ride the bus I’ll save you a back seat where you can leave your leg and no one will even walk by it or think anything about it-ok? 
    Be sure to show this to your folks, Kathy, Mina and Calvin at least, and tell them and Blaine, Matt, Neil, Karl and Andy I said, ‘Hi, and I’m looking forward to seeing them all again next summer.’ 
    Your friend, Gordon
    Though Gordon Lord has passed on, the kindness he showed his swimming students will be remembered by many. Others will recall a deep sense of appreciation of our area’s beauty as portrayed in his scenic photography that has been preserved for years to come.

Woman in photo identified

"The lady in the picture is my great grandmother Edith Hariett Moody. She was born August 30, 1896 on Moody Ridge in McGregor. She was the daughter of Charles and Ruth (Moore) Moody. She married Elmer Weller August 30, 1914 which was his and her birthday also. They had three daughters Agnes Corlett, Irene Kelsey, and Ruth Bradley. Later in life she married Cy McCauley. She was the first person in the state of Iowa to get her Beautician License. I am her great-granddaughter, Heather Silvers, from Mount Hope, Wis. I grew up in McGregor and lived with my great-grandmother Edith until I was 18.”

 Methodist Church tower
has been through several renovations

By Lucy Dodge

 McGregor’s United Methodist Church, now known as the Living Faith United Methodist Church, has seen about 135 years of time pass while providing a place to worship for area residents.
    When it was completed in 1873, the two-towered church was patterned after the Centenary Church of Chicago and was considered one of the finest churches in northeast Iowa. The stately brick building, five years in the making, was graced with a style called ‘Romanesque,’ somewhat modernized in some respects. Its tower windows were an attraction capped with arches of neat white brick.
    One of the most impressive attributes of the church was the spire on the main tower that originally rose 25 feet above the tower, or 151 feet from the ground. Prairie du Chien and those on McGregor’s riverfront had a wonderful view of this spire that was destroyed by lightning in 1883. The steeple was split and shattered and the damage was so bad that the spire had to be taken down and the tower finished to match the other tower.
  

This photo of the Methodist Church, McGregor, shows a clock that is no longer watching time pass by. Before the clock a tall spire once capped the top of one of the towers. (Postcard photo courtesy of Bob Clark)

 According to records, it was quite a job to remove the spire and the head carpenter, S. S. Steele, had to send away for workers. To get the job done, skids were built from the top of the tower over to the hill across the street. Ropes, pulleys and rollers were used to slide the demolished spire along with soft soap used for lubrication. But before the spire reached the ground, it fell off the apparatus and crashed to the street into innumerable pieces.
    Records do not show exactly when the clock featured in this photo was removed, but it’s believed it was removed in the mid-1960s.
    Some interior remodeling has been done throughout the years to the building, but it still emits an aura of ‘stateliness’ in its neatly arched windows and brick walls that have seen over a century of the town’s history pass by.

McGregor’s historic former home of J. D. Bickel was once called ‘The Minney Tourist Home’ many years ago. Present owner, Karla Vogel, has mixed feelings about the sale of the home because of the memories she and her late husband, Bob, shared, but feels it is time to downsize. (Photo courtesy of Bob Clark)

Vogel puts historic Bickel home on the market

By Lucy Dodge

 The well-known historic twelve room home of the late Bob Vogel and Karla Vogel, McGregor, is ending a chapter. Those driving by the home across from McGregor’s Cannon Park will now see a ‘For Sale’ sign in the yard.
    This same yard was once photographed filled with neighborhood children and a herd of goats! J.D. Bickel built the home over a century ago. One of McGregor’s most enterprising businessmen, Bickel was responsible for the J. D. Bickel Produce Company, beleived to be the largest produce dealer in our area. He also owned the Bickel Meat and Grocery and the Bickel Baking Company with as many as 200 bakery employees and many others in his other businesses.
    J. D. Bickel and his wife, Mary, had ten children and the home has four to six large bedrooms that accomodated their family, three of which died during a diphtheria epidemic that caused many other deaths in the area.
Included in the story of J. D. Bickel home, some older residents might recall the home when it was called ‘Minney’s Tourist Home,’ used somewhat like we think of a Bed and Breakfast today as it shown in the photo. (Area readers that have any information about the Minney Tourist Home are invited to share this by calling Lucy at 873-1676).

Carriage factory
was later the site of Clark Hospital

By Lucy Dodge

 Bits and pieces of McGregor’s history keep coming to light after being hidden away for years. One of these is the story about the former Clark Hospital that was at the corner of Main and 5th Street in McGregor.
    Before this site held the hospital, it was the Carriage andManufacturing Company.  G. Hawley and Son began to make carriages in the factory that was built in March of 1871. Charles Fessman, a skilled workman from Germany, was the foreman and he with other craftsmen who worked at the five forges in the factory made the Hawley sleighs and carriages famous.  One sleigh won first prize at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876.
    Fessman’s work is honored at the McGregor Historical Museum that features items he made for his children.
    Amos Pearsall, who came to McGregor in 1856 and operated a livery stable until 1871, was a member of the Hawley firm for nine years and in 1880 purchased the factory. He took his younger son, Charles A., into partnership with him and retained Fessman in his employ.
     It is not known exactly when the carriage works closed, but records show that  Dr. Henry Clark  and his daughter, Dr. Mae Clark were responsible for building the Clark Hospital at the site in 1902. They were instrumental in operating the hospital for many years, until their retirement. Then it became the McGregor Community Hospital. Due to changing state requirements and its economic circumstances, the hospital was closed and sold in 1968 by the McGregor Community Hospital board to Charles E. Starkey and his wife and a Miss Edith Abbott of Brandon, Iowa.
    The building then became ‘The Golden Age Custodial Home # 2’. Starkey and Abbott were operating another Golden Age home in Brandon. The Home housed indigent elderly (funded by the state and county) who needed no nursing care.
    Due to the contining deterioration of the buildings and more government requirements, the old carriage factory was razed January, 1975. The former factory and hospital site is now the site of the Carriage Apartment Building