Learn more about Altoona's history at reopened Altoona Area Historical Society
What’s old is new this spring at the Altoona Area Historical Society in Olde Town. The building reopened to the public March 2 after volunteers spent time sorting the items collected over the years, discarding those not pertaining to eastern Polk County history and reorganizing what remained into new displays.
I stopped by shortly after the building opened at 10 a.m. Volunteer Mark Dykstra, an old acquaintance from my days covering the Southeast Polk schools, was there to greet visitors. He said many hours had gone into categorizing the objects, photos and newspaper articles on display.
Pegboard was added to walls to facilitate hanging items, black frames around photos and paper items and descriptions typed by volunteer Phyllis Murphy help displays stand out.
More: City leaders look to revive Altoona's Olde Town as rest of the suburb grows
Thanks to the historical society, visitors can learn about the origins of Adventureland and Prairie Meadows, see what Altoona’s first school building looked like, learn about the community's industrial past, find out how Neal Smith brought bison and elk to a wildlife refuge near Prairie City and so much more.
Dykstra said they are still working on developing areas for temporary displays that can change with the seasons.
While I was there, Southeast Polk’s community relations person, Jean Christenson, stopped by to check out what the historical society has about schools past and present. She plans to display photos and other items from the district’s archives for people to enjoy when they stop by the district offices. She’s also working on a series of articles about notable Southeast Polk women for Women’s History Month. The write ups will appear on the district’s Facebook page and on the website. I’m looking forward to checking them out.
Driving to and from the Altoona Area Historical Society, I realized how long it had been since I’d visited that part of town. Three years of pandemic and the many months of closures on parts of First Avenue kept me away. I got my first look at the proposed location of the pocket park with a mural in the space where the small frame cottage-style building once stood. I saw the hole and pile of dirt at the corner of Second Street and Second Avenue Southeast where the former hotel/nursing home/apartments etc. was recently demolished.
The more Altoona changes, the more important the work of the Altoona Area Historical Society becomes. You can visit on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. You can become a member or make a donation to support their work.
Margaret Ludington has lived in Altoona since 1971. She is a retired staff writer and editorial writer for the Herald-Index. Margaret is a mother of two, grandmother of four. She and her husband travel frequently and have visited every state except Alaska and five Canadian provinces.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Learn more about Altoona's history at Altoona Area Historical Society
